James

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 15 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

James is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name3.9M records spelled James22 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Cuba, Brazil, Colombia

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

  Also written Jämës, Jame'S, Ja'Mes, Jamës, Jamés

• a separate given name1.4M records spelled James4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada

  Also written Jämes, Jamés

• Swahili given name621K records spelled James3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Kenya, Nigeria, United Kingdom

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho

  Also written James'

• French given name548K records spelled James5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Jâmes, Jàmes, Jame'S, James'

• Arabic given name502K records spelled James3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United Arab Emirates, United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia

  Languages: Arabic, Maltese

• Polish given name242K records spelled James72 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Poland, Czechia, Bulgaria

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Czech

  Also written Джеймс, Dzheims, Jaymes, Luky, Джеимс

• a separate given name117K records spelled James25 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand

  Also written Jãmës, Jame'S, Jáméś, Jâmës, Ĵǡmęș

133 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

James is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, From the personal name James, from Late Latin Jacomus/Jacmus, an alteration of Latin Jacobus.

  as a name·Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history]

• James is a timeless and classic name of Hebrew origin, meaning "supplanter." Borne by two of Jesus's apostles and the revered King James of Bible fame, the name carries a rich history of faith, royalty, and leadership. It has remained a consistently popular choice for centuries, suggesting strength, reliability, and integrity.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name James is the English derivation of the Latin 'Iacomus', which comes from the Greek 'Ἰάκωβος' (Iákōbos), a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name 'יַעֲקֹב' (Ya'aqov) or Jacob. The traditional meaning of Jacob is "supplanter" or "he who grasps the heel," based on the biblical account of Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name James is a later form of the Latin Iacomus, derived from the Greek Iakōbos, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (Jacob). The traditional meaning of Ya'aqov is "supplanter" or "heel-catcher," derived from the biblical account of Jacob holding his twin brother Esau's heel at birth.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name James comes from the Hebrew name Jacob and means 'supplanter.' It has a long and noble history, being the name of two of Jesus's apostles and numerous kings. It suggests a person who is reliable, traditional, and a natural leader.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• James II of Englandb. 1633GBKing of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1685 to 1688 (1633–1701)
• James Madisonb. 1751USPresident of the United States from 1809 to 1817 (1751–1836)
• James Monroeb. 1758USpresident of the United States from 1817 to 1825 (1758–1831)
• James Buchananb. 1791USpresident of the United States from 1857 to 1861
• James K. Polkb. 1795USPresident of the United States from 1845 to 1849 (1795–1849)
• James Stewartb. 1908USAmerican actor and military officer (1908–1997)
• Gordon Brownb. 1951GBnot in their usual namePrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010
• James Hornerb. 1953USAmerican film composer and conductor (1953-2015)
• James Bluntb. 1974GBEnglish singer-songwriter (born 1974)
• James Wanb. 1977MYMalaysian-Australian filmmaker (born 1977)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,340 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name James?

We estimate roughly 3.1 million people bear James (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does James have the most bearers?

We estimate about 3.0 million people bear James in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled james.

How common is James compared with other names?

In the United States, James is the 4th most common given name of 3,122,706 given names recorded there.

Is James a male or female name?

James is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name James mean?

Recorded meaning: from the medieval personal name James, from Latin Iacomus via Old French; borne by many notable people.