Jim
Jim was the 3159th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 38 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 45th; the most babies were born in 1959 (5,688). Over the last ten years it has moved down 328 places. More babies were named Jim in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of James · English, Hebrew
Say it JIM /dʒɪm/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,159 boys, down 207 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 38boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19595,688 babies
- Total since 1880
- 153,938babies recorded
What does the name Jim mean?
Jim is a short form of James, as Wiktionary notes. James comes from Late Latin Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus (Jacob), from Hebrew Yaʿaqov. DMNES derives Jacob from Hebrew ʿaqev 'heel', echoing Genesis 25:26, where Jacob is born grasping his twin's heel. Jim has been used as an independent name since the 19th century.
יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov) (Biblical Hebrew, “Jacob”)עָקֵב (ʿaqev) (Hebrew, “heel”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: James, Jimmy, Jamie, Jacob.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jim', 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)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 25:26 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Nicknames for Jim
The usual nicknames for Jim are Jimmy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jim in the last five years, 966 were named Jimmy, against 1087 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy · also for James | Traditional | #847 | 1,536 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jims go by each one.
Jim popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 816 since 1888.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,159 | 38 |
| 2020 | #2,952 | 40 |
| 2010 | #2,106 | 64 |
| 2000 | #1,157 | 120 |
| 1990 | #685 | 219 |
| 1980 | #486 | 302 |
| 1970 | #204 | 1,259 |
| 1960 | #75 | 5,549 |
| 1950 | #139 | 1,930 |
| 1940 | #78 | 2,715 |
| 1930 | #125 | 1,464 |
| 1920 | #165 | 838 |
| 1910 | #100 | 331 |
| 1900 | #68 | 399 |
| 1890 | #62 | 336 |
| 1880 | #49 | 345 |
How popular is Jim, counting every spelling?
Jim has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Jim?
38 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jim (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jim 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 221 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jim.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jim?
About 73,400 people born in the US named Jim are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 61 and 76. That makes Jim a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Jim by state
How common Jim was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jim: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jim, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jim · Sibling names for Jim
Jim is also a nickname for James.
Questions about the name Jim
What does Jim mean?
Jim means “short form of James” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jim?
Jim was the 3159th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 38 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 45th; the most babies were born in 1959 (5,688). Over the last ten years it has moved down 328 places. More babies were named Jim in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Jim a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jim in the US.
Where is Jim most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jim was most common in Ohio (0.02 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and California.