boy's name
Jim
JIM
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 158,071
Ireland
#313
2025 births
Jim is a boy's name meaning supplanter, shortened from James — which is the same name as Jacob, split into two by Latin. Ireland ranks it 313th, far above every other market we track.
- Jim is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1959, when 5,697 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 87,252 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jim over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,525 |
| 1890s | 2,887 |
| 1900s | 2,751 |
| 1910s | 5,901 |
| 1920s | 10,728 |
| 1930s | 20,957 |
| 1940s | 35,754 |
| 1950s | 26,286 |
| 1960s | 33,289 |
| 1970s | 6,034 |
| 1980s | 2,552 |
| 1990s | 1,607 |
| 2000s | 962 |
| 2010s | 506 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 199 |
What Jim means
Jim means supplanter, or one who follows, carried from James and so from Jacob. The Hebrew relates to the heel Jacob grasps at birth in Genesis.
Where Jim comes from
Jim shortens James, which is Jacob by another route: the Hebrew Ya'aqov passed into Greek as Iakobos, into Latin as Iacobus, and then a late variant Iacomus gave the French Jacques and the English James, while the older form gave Jacob directly. English is unusual in keeping both and treating them as different names. The Genesis story has Jacob born gripping his twin's heel, and the name is glossed both as heel-grabber and as supplanter, which is what he goes on to do to Esau.
Jim in use
Jim peaked in the United States in 1959, when 5,697 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 313th in Ireland on 14 births — far above every other market — then 816th in France on 60, 855th in Scotland, 2225th in England and Wales on 11 and 3160th in the United States on 38, across 158,071 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Jim?
In 2025, Jim was given to 38 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jim 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 Jim
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jim also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jim over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jim 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 Jim
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jim — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jim
What does the name Jim mean?
Supplanter, carried from James and so from Jacob.
Are James and Jacob the same name?
Yes. A late Latin variant of Iacobus gave James while the older form gave Jacob — English kept both.
Why does Jacob mean supplanter?
He is born gripping his twin's heel in Genesis, and goes on to take Esau's birthright.
Where is Jim most used?
Ireland at 313th, far above every other market we track.
How popular is the name Jim?
In 2025, Jim was given to 38 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Jim a girl's or a boy's name?
Jim is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jim?
Jim has 1 syllable.
When was Jim most popular?
Jim peaked in 1959, when 5,697 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Jim a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jim currently ranks #313 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.