boy's name
Jameson
JAY-mə-sən
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 65,783
the United States
#137
2025 births
Jameson is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "son of James." James descends from Jacob, whose meaning is disputed between "supplanter" and "may God protect" — so the meaning runs two generations back.
- Jameson is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2019, when 4,708 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,261 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1922.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jameson over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 |
| 1940s | 11 |
| 1950s | 53 |
| 1960s | 172 |
| 1970s | 745 |
| 1980s | 2,610 |
| 1990s | 2,415 |
| 2000s | 5,876 |
| 2010s | 29,041 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 22,162 |
What Jameson means
Jameson means son of James. James itself comes from Jacob, usually given as supplanter or heel-grabber, though a competing reading takes it as may God protect.
Where Jameson comes from
Jameson is an English and Scottish patronymic surname from James, which reached English through the Latin Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov. Genesis explains Jacob as holding his twin brother's heel at birth, from aqev, heel, giving supplanter — though many scholars read the name instead as a shortened Ya'aqov-el, may God protect. The whiskey distillery founded by John Jameson in Dublin in 1780 gives the name its most visible modern association, and it is one of several spirits — alongside Bourbon and Brandy — to have become given names.
Jameson in use
Our data shows Jameson peaking in 2019 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1922. Its climb is almost entirely American; in England and Wales it remains outside the top 130, which is the reverse of most surname-names we have written up.
How popular is Jameson?
In 2025, Jameson was given to 2,630 babies in the United States, ranking #137 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jameson is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jameson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jameson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jameson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Jameson
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Jameson in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Jameson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jameson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jameson
What does the name Jameson mean?
Jameson means "son of James," and James descends from the Hebrew Jacob.
What does Jacob mean?
Disputed. Genesis gives "heel-grabber" or supplanter; many scholars read it instead as a shortened "may God protect."
Is Jameson named after the whiskey?
The surname is far older, but the distillery founded in Dublin in 1780 is its most visible modern association.
How popular is the name Jameson?
In 2025, Jameson was given to 2,630 babies in the United States, ranking #137 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Jameson a girl's or a boy's name?
Jameson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jameson?
Jameson has 2 syllables.
When was Jameson most popular?
Jameson peaked in 2019, when 4,708 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Jameson?
Jameson is usually shortened to Jamie, James and Jame.
Is Jameson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jameson currently ranks #137 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.