Jamese
A masculine given name derived from the biblical name "James".
Name Census estimates that about 744 living Americans carry the first name Jamese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamese today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamese births was 1998 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamese. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
744
~ 1 in 460,691 Americans
Peak year
1998
31 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2018 SSA rank
#14,548
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Jamese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamese from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 266 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamese by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jamese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jameses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Alabama, Illinois, District of Columbia recorded the most babies named Jamese, while Florida, District of Columbia, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamese
The name Jamese is an anglicized variant of the Hebrew name James, which is derived from the name Jacob. Jacob is a biblical name that dates back to ancient times, with its roots tracing back to the Hebrew word "ya'aqob," meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
The name James gained widespread popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe, where it was borne by several notable figures. One of the most famous bearers of the name was James the Great, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, who lived in the 1st century AD. His popularity as a saint contributed to the widespread use of the name throughout Christendom.
In the 9th century, a Spanish monk named Jaime de Liébana is considered one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jamese. He was a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
Another notable bearer of the name Jamese was Jamese of Baux, a 13th-century nobleman from Provence, France. He was a prominent figure in the Crusades and played a significant role in the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204.
During the Renaissance period, Jamese Ingram, an English composer and lutenist, was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII. He was born around 1479 and is known for his contributions to the development of English music during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Jamese Gillray, an English caricaturist and printmaker, gained fame for his satirical works that commented on the political and social issues of his time. He was born in 1756 and is considered one of the most influential satirists of the Georgian era.
Jamese Morier, a British diplomat and author, is also noteworthy. Born in 1780, he served as a diplomat in Persia (modern-day Iran) and wrote several books about his travels and experiences in the region, providing valuable insights into the culture and customs of the time.
People
Jamese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamese as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jamese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 744 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamese going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 460,691 US residents.
Is Jamese a common name?
We classify Jamese as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 775 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamese most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamese was 1998, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamese is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jamese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamese in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.