James: boys named per year, 1880 to 2025
James: boys named per year stood at 11,945 in 2025, up 0.8% on the previous period.
The number of American boys named James each year, counted from Social Security card applications back to 1880. Name data is one of the cleanest cultural time series that exists: every point is an actual administrative count, not a survey. Since 1880 the series has ranged from 4516 (1891) to 94,767 (1947); the latest reading is 11,945 for 2025, up from 11,856 the period before.
Names carry fashion cycles measured in generations. A spike usually has a traceable trigger, a famous namesake or a character, and the long tails show how slowly a name leaves circulation once parents move on.
Why do early decades look low?
Are rare names included?
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