Oliver James
There are approximately 184 people named Oliver James living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 1,862,795 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Oliver with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname James. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
184
1 in 1,862,795
Named Oliver
218K
Alive today
Named James
290K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 218K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2024
Average age: 15
Estimated bearers: 290K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #85
Per 100K: 84.54
Top ancestry: White (51.6%)
First name trend
Oliver: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Oliver. The peak year was 2024 with 15,368 births. The average person named Oliver today is 15 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the James surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname James, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 51.6%.
- White51.6%
- Black or African American38.9%
- Hispanic or Latino3.1%
- Two or more races2.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6%
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Oliver has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0636% of the US population, based on 217,861 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname James appears at a rate of 84.54 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0845%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 184 people with the full name Oliver James. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Oliver
Related
Other people with the surname James
FAQ
Oliver James: questions and answers
How many people are named Oliver James?
We estimate approximately 184 people in the United States share the full name Oliver James. That works out to about 1 in 1,862,795 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0636%) with the surname frequency (84.54 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Oliver James?
We classify Oliver James as "Very Rare". About 1 in 1,862,795 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Oliver a male or female name?
Oliver is predominantly male. Out of 255,607 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Oliver profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.