Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1959

Jim

Meaning Jim is a masculine given name Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #3,159 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

Jim is a masculine given name.

Rank 2025
#3,159
among boys · ↑1,335 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
38
named Jim · +65% vs 2024
How common
1 in 44,949
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1959
5,697 babies
All-time total
153,938
#227 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jim popularity over time

153,938 babies have been named Jim since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 5 3,520 3,525 353 – #45
1890s 46 2,841 2,887 289 -18% #62
1900s 33 2,718 2,751 275 -5% #68
1910s 137 5,764 5,901 590 +115% #100
1920s 162 10,566 10,728 1,073 +82% #132
1930s 134 20,823 20,957 2,096 +95% #75
1940s 122 35,632 35,754 3,575 +71% #68
1950s 71 26,215 26,286 2,629 -26% #70
1960s 88 33,201 33,289 3,329 +27% #75
1970s 13 6,021 6,034 603 -82% #204
1980s 5 2,547 2,552 255 -58% #466
1990s – 1,607 1,607 161 -37% #685
2000s – 962 962 96 -40% #1,157
2010s – 506 506 51 -47% #2,106
2020s (to 2025) – 199 199 33 -34% #2,952

Where Jim is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 37 0.02 outside top 500
2027 36 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 34 0.02 outside top 500
2030 33 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Jim

Jim is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,159 in 2025 with 38 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 153,938 American babies have been named Jim. Its peak came in 1959, when 5,697 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jim stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jim?

The median living Jim is about 66 years old; half are between 61 and 77. An estimated 81 thousand people named Jim are alive in the United States today.

median 66 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jim year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 38 #3,159
2024 – – 23 #4,494
2023 – – 27 #4,060
2022 – – 34 #3,437
2021 – – 37 #3,212
2020 – – 40 #2,952
2019 – – 39 #3,076
2018 – – 39 #3,022
2017 – – 37 #3,158
2016 – – 43 #2,811
2015 – – 42 #2,831
2014 – – 63 #2,164
2013 – – 60 #2,188
2012 – – 58 #2,250
2011 – – 61 #2,157
2010 – – 64 #2,106
2009 – – 61 #2,193
2008 – – 88 #1,727
2007 – – 79 #1,837
2006 – – 97 #1,542
2005 – – 92 #1,540
2004 – – 102 #1,400
2003 – – 101 #1,351
2002 – – 117 #1,197
2001 – – 105 #1,271
2000 – – 120 #1,157
1995 – – 158 #861
1990 – – 219 #685
1985 – – 207 #608
1980 – – 302 #486
1975 – – 439 #372
1970 – – 1,259 #204
1965 9 #4,634 2,772 #116
1960 8 #4,940 5,549 #75
1955 7 #4,932 1,699 #167
1950 6 #4,987 1,930 #139
1945 12 #2,666 3,625 #68
1940 15 #2,154 2,715 #78
1935 15 #2,151 2,244 #90
1930 17 #2,064 1,464 #125
1925 13 #2,692 1,124 #147
1920 10 #3,222 838 #165
1915 20 #1,704 668 #170
1910 13 #1,295 331 #100
1905 6 #1,804 236 #95
1900 9 #1,367 399 #68
1895 5 #1,710 278 #71
1890 7 #1,144 336 #62
1885 – – 370 #46
1880 – – 345 #49

Famous people named Jim

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jim Carrey Jim Carrey Canadian and American actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jim Caviezel Jim Caviezel American actor (born 1968) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jim Parsons Jim Parsons American actor (born 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jim Lovell Jim Lovell American astronaut (1928–2025) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jim Jones Jim Jones American cult leader and mass murderer (1931–1978) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jim Belushi Jim Belushi American actor and comedian (born 1954) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jim Henson Jim Henson American puppeteer (1936–1990) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jim Thorpe Jim Thorpe American athlete (1887–1953) 19th century
  9. 9 Jim Broadbent Jim Broadbent British actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jim Brown Jim Brown American football player and actor (1936–2023) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jim Jarmusch Jim Jarmusch American filmmaker (born 1953) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jim Mattis Jim Mattis American military officer (born 1950) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jim Bridger Jim Bridger American explorer (1804–1881) 19th century
  14. 14 Jim Corbett Jim Corbett Anglo-Indian hunter, naturalist and author (1875–1955) 19th century
  15. 15 Jim Carroll Jim Carroll American author and musician (1949–2009) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jim Clark Jim Clark British racing driver (1936–1968) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jim Reeves Jim Reeves American singer (1923–1964) Contemporary
  18. 18 Jim Davis Jim Davis American actor (1909–1981) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jim Kelly Jim Kelly American athlete, actor, and martial artist (1946–2013) Contemporary
  20. 20 Jim Garrison Jim Garrison American district attorney (1921–1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jim, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jim?

The median living Jim is about 66 years old. Half of all living Jims are between 61 and 77 years old.

How many people named Jim are alive today?

An estimated 81 thousand people named Jim are alive in the United States, based on 153,938 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jim mean?

Jim is a masculine given name.

How popular is the name Jim in 2025?

Jim ranked #3,159 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 38 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jim?

153,938 babies have been named Jim in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jim most popular?

Jim peaked in 1959, when 5,697 newborns received the name.

Is Jim a boy or girl name?

Jim is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jim rising or falling?

Jim is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jim become more popular?

Jim is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 33 boys named Jim in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jim?

Well-known people named Jim include Jim Carrey (actor), Jim Caviezel (actor), Jim Parsons (actor).

Names like Jim

Names that sound and feel close to Jim: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jim with similar names → More names starting with J →