unisex name · in the US
Jamie
JAY-mee (English)
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Unisex (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 447,154
the United States
#577
2025 births
Jamie is a unisex name of Hebrew origin, a Scottish diminutive of James meaning "supplanter" or "holder of the heel." It ranks 47th in Ireland and it is recorded as unisex.
- Jamie is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1976, when 17,160 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,023 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Jamie started out as a girls' name and is now given almost entirely to boys.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jamie Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 15 |
| 1890s | 114 |
| 1900s | 211 |
| 1910s | 677 |
| 1920s | 1,001 |
| 1930s | 1,018 |
| 1940s | 2,935 |
| 1950s | 13,349 |
| 1960s | 35,724 |
| 1970s | 104,141 |
| 1980s | 114,968 |
| 1990s | 50,531 |
| 2000s | 20,653 |
| 2010s | 9,299 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,954 |
What Jamie Means
Jamie inherits the meaning of James, which comes from the Hebrew Ya'aqov, Jacob. The traditional reading is supplanter, taken from Genesis, where the newborn Jacob grips his twin's heel — the name is glossed in the text itself as heel-holder.
Where Jamie Comes From
Jamie is the Scottish diminutive of James, and James descends through the Late Latin Iacomus from the Hebrew Ya'aqov, Jacob. Genesis supplies both readings: Jacob is born gripping Esau's heel, from aqev, a heel, and later takes his brother's birthright, which gives the supplanter sense. The two apostles named James kept the name in Christian use, and the Latin form split into Jacob and Iacomus, which is why English has both James and Jacob from one source. Jamie was long a Scottish male form — the Jacobite risings were fought for a series of kings called James, whom their supporters called Jamie — and its use for girls is a twentieth-century development in the United States and Britain, helped by its ending sounding like other feminine diminutives. Both uses are now well established, which is why it registers as unisex.
Jamie in Use
Jamie ranks 47th in Ireland with 123 births in 2025 and 87th in Scotland, and it is recorded as unisex across markets. It is falling from a peak in 1976, with 577th in the United States and 245th in England and Wales. It is on record from 1884, when it was still a male-only Scottish diminutive.
How Popular Is Jamie?
In 2025, Jamie was given to 824 babies in the United States, ranking #577 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Jamie 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 Jamie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Jamie Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jamie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Jamie is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Both 53% girls · 8,349 babies
- England & Wales Boys' 5% girls · 3,885 babies
- Ireland Boys' 4% girls · 2,208 babies
- Canada Both 33% girls · 1,581 babies
- Scotland Boys' 4% girls · 1,216 babies
- Northern Ireland Boys' 1% girls · 528 babies
- France Both 14% girls · 395 babies
How to Say Jamie
- English JAY-mee /ˈdʒeɪ.mi/
Jamie 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 Jamie
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Jamie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Jamie
What does the name Jamie mean?
It inherits James's meaning: supplanter, or holder of the heel, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov.
Is Jamie a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. It is recorded as unisex. It began as a Scottish male diminutive and came into use for girls in the twentieth century.
Is Jamie short for James?
Yes, in its original Scottish use. It is now commonly registered as a full name.
How popular is Jamie?
Forty-seventh in Ireland and 87th in Scotland.
How many syllables are in Jamie?
Jamie has 2 syllables.
Is Jamie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jamie currently ranks #47 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.