James name meaning, origin and popularity

Meaning, origin, similar names and Australian ranking history.

The name James

Story and style

James is a distinctive name for boys.

For parents, James is easy to imagine in everyday life: simple enough for a child, but still polished enough to grow with them.

At a glance

The quick version

Best rank6th in 2015
Listed years18/18 years
TrendSteady
First listed2008
StyleFamiliar, Steady
Length5 letters

More about James

Background notes

What style of name is James?

James feels familiar and steady. It sits naturally beside names like Jack, Jasper, Arthur and Henry: names that feel related in sound, style or popularity.

Names similar to James

If you like James, you might also like:

Jack Jasper Arthur Henry Leo Levi Luca William

James ranking history in Australia

Published national top-100 ranking by year

James has been a steady favourite in Australia. It ranked 19th in 2025, keeping it comfortably inside the current top 30 for boys, and appeared in the top 100 every year from 2008 to 2025.

YearRank
202519th
202416th
202313th
202233rd
202125th
202024th
201920th
201816th
20178th
201612th
20156th
201410th
201313th
20127th
201115th
201013th
200913th
20089th