boy's name
Jimmy
JIM-ee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 335,444
the United States
#846
2025 births
Jimmy is a boy's name, the pet form of James, meaning supplanter. It ranks 292nd in Ireland — its strongest market by a wide margin — and charts in six of the seven markets we track.
- Jimmy is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 7,938 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,393 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1883.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jimmy 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 | 24 |
| 1890s | 123 |
| 1900s | 302 |
| 1910s | 1,385 |
| 1920s | 7,539 |
| 1930s | 35,752 |
| 1940s | 63,889 |
| 1950s | 55,237 |
| 1960s | 47,721 |
| 1970s | 27,367 |
| 1980s | 19,711 |
| 1990s | 14,173 |
| 2000s | 10,476 |
| 2010s | 5,380 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,876 |
What Jimmy means
Jimmy means supplanter, or one who takes another's place, carried from James. The Hebrew original is traditionally explained by the story of Jacob taking his elder brother's birthright and blessing.
Where Jimmy comes from
Jimmy is James with the -y diminutive, and James descends through the Latin Iacomus, a late variant of Iacobus, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov — Jacob. The Latin variant is what produced James, Jaime and Jacques while the older form gave Jacob, so English holds two versions of one name and treats them as separate. The traditional meaning rests on the Genesis account of Jacob born gripping his twin's heel. Jimmy became a name in its own right in the twentieth century, particularly in Ireland and America, and it survives in idioms — jimmy as a burglar's crowbar, from the same generic use as jemmy.
Jimmy in use
Jimmy peaked in the United States in 1947, when 7,938 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 292nd in Ireland on 15 births — its strongest market by a wide margin — alongside 428th in England and Wales on 93, 652nd in Scotland, 734th in France on 55 and 846th in the United States on 291, across 335,444 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Jimmy?
In 2025, Jimmy was given to 291 babies in the United States, ranking #846 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jimmy 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 Jimmy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jimmy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jimmy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jimmy
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.
Jimmy 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.
- Finnish
- Jimi
Sibling names for Jimmy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jimmy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jimmy
What does the name Jimmy mean?
Supplanter, carried from James and ultimately from the Hebrew Jacob.
Is James the same name as Jacob?
Yes — a late Latin variant of one Hebrew name produced James, while the older form gave Jacob. English treats them as separate.
Where is Jimmy most used?
Ireland, at 292nd — well ahead of its 846th position in the United States.
How popular is Jimmy?
292nd in Ireland and 846th in the United States.
Is Jimmy a girl's or a boy's name?
Jimmy is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jimmy?
Jimmy has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jimmy?
Jimmy is usually shortened to Jim.
Is Jimmy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jimmy currently ranks #292 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.