Jamey
Jamey was the 4313th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 369th with 430 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 33 places. More babies were named Jamey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Jamie) pet form of James (from Jacob) · Hebrew, English, Scottish
- Rank in 2025
- #4,313 boys, up 18 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 24boys
- Girls and boys
- 26% girls, 74% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1976430 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,808babies recorded
What does the name Jamey mean?
Jamey is a spelling of Jamie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Jamie's meaning and origin.
Jamie is a Scottish and English pet form of James, made by clipping the name and adding -ie. James and Jacob are the same name: DMNES explains that James developed in the British Isles from the Latin form Jacomus, a variant of Jacobus. Jacob comes from Hebrew Yaakov, which Genesis 25:26 links with aqev, heel, because he was born holding his brother's heel. Wiktionary notes that Jamie is used for boys and, since the 20th century in America, for girls.
יַעֲקֹב (Biblical Hebrew, “Jacob”)עָקֵב (Biblical Hebrew, “heel”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'heel' explanation is the Bible's wordplay, which DMNES also gives.
Related names: James, Jacob, Jaime, Jayme, Jim.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jamie' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jacob', DMNES (Durham University)
- Genesis 25:26, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translators' note (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
Jamey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,448 | #4,313 | 7 | 24 |
| 2020 | #12,702 | #4,331 | 7 | 23 |
| 2010 | #5,864 | #3,753 | 23 | 28 |
| 2000 | #3,766 | #3,984 | 34 | 20 |
| 1990 | #2,614 | #1,341 | 45 | 69 |
| 1980 | #1,424 | #640 | 86 | 184 |
| 1970 | #1,564 | #470 | 62 | 294 |
| 1960 | #2,164 | #957 | 29 | 63 |
| 1950 | #2,383 | #3,489 | 18 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Jamey, counting every spelling?
Jamey is a spelling of Jamie, a name family that ranked #549 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,313 for Jamey on its own. Together these spellings went to 546 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jamey?
24 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jamey (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jamey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 347 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jamey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jamey?
About 6,100 people born in the US named Jamey are alive today, with a median age of 50; half are between 42 and 54. That makes Jamey mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jamey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jamey, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Jamey
What does Jamey mean?
Jamey is a spelling of Jamie, which means “pet form of James (from Jacob)” (Hebrew, English, Scottish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jamey?
Jamey was the 4313th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 369th with 430 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 33 places. More babies were named Jamey in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Jamey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 26% girls, 74% boys given the name Jamey in the US.