2000
#80
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 86.46
Common Last name
James
An English surname derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 279,230 Americans carry the last name James. That puts it at #86 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 81.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the James surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for James with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
279K
1 in 1,227
Census rank
#86
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
81.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
244K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 243,502 bearers of the surname James in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 81.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 86th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname James, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of James
The surname James originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the given name James, which comes from the Latin name Iacobus, itself a form of the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, meaning "supplanter" or "heel-catcher". The original Anglo-Norman form of the surname was Jacques, which later evolved into various spellings such as Jammes, Jamys, and eventually James.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname James appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Jacobus. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of landholdings across England and Wales. The name James is believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Normans after their conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname James was William James, a Norman landowner mentioned in the Domesday Book as holding lands in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Another notable early figure was Roger James, a monk from Canterbury who lived in the late 12th century and wrote several religious works.
During the Middle Ages, the surname James was particularly concentrated in the western counties of England, such as Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. This may have been influenced by the presence of Celtic populations in these regions, as the name James has similarities to the Welsh name Iago and the Cornish name Jago.
In the 16th century, the James family played a prominent role in the English Reformation. John James (c. 1555-1629) was a prominent Puritan clergyman and author, while his son Thomas James (1573-1629) was a renowned biblical scholar and the first Bodley's Librarian at the University of Oxford.
Other notable historical figures with the surname James include Henry James (1843-1916), the renowned American novelist and literary critic, and Jesse James (1847-1882), the infamous American outlaw and bank robber known for his exploits in the American Old West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for James
Among Census respondents with the surname James, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how James bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the James surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.4% · 117,882
- Black or African American38.3% · 93,370
- Two or more races4.8% · 11,791
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 10,317
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 5,763
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 4,379
Timeline
Historical Census data for James
James appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#85
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 249,379
+16,155 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 84.54
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#86
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243,502
-5,877 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 81.47
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80 | 233,224 | 86.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85 | 249,379 | 84.54 | +16,155 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #86 | 243,502 | 81.47 | -5,877 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the James surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #85 | #86 | -1.2% |
| Count | 249,379 | 243,502 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 84.54 | 81.47 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of James bearers went from 249,379 to 243,502 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #85 to #86.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname James
FAQ
James surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname James?
Name Census estimates that about 279,230 living Americans carry the surname James. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,227 residents.
How common is James?
James ranks #86 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 81.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 81 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 243,502 people with the surname James. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (279,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 81.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 81.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 81 of them to have the surname James.
Has James become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname James went from 249,379 recorded bearers to 243,502. That is a decrease of 5,877 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #85 to #86.
What does the Census say about the background of James?
Among Census respondents with the surname James, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname James in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (117,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
James appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.4%), Black (38.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for James (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does James mean?
An English surname derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for James (81.47 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname James?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.