Henry vs James
Henry and James compared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Henry was ranked #45 and James #1 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #76 and James #4 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #6 and James #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Henry was ranked #8 and James #15 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #13 and James #42 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Henry was ranked #95 and James #14 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #50 and James #355 among boys in Norway.
Henry and James over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Henry and James over time
Henry and James appear together in 6 published lists, across 272 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Henry in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
James reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Henry in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2017, Henry moved ahead of James in England and Wales · Boys — #15 and #12 the year before became #13 and #17.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Henry and James changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #50 and #355.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Henry and James averaged 28.0 places apart, ending at #13 and #42.
- Longest-running competitions
Henry and James were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #13 and #42.
List by list
Norway · Boys80 shared years, 1945–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 55 of those years, James in 25.
Highest recorded here: Henry #50 in 2025, James #218 in 1978.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #50, James #355.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 62.
Highest recorded here: Henry #60 in 1964, James #1 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #76, James #4.
New Zealand · Boys41 shared years, 1954–2023
Henry held the stronger position in 1 of those years, James in 40.
Highest recorded here: Henry #8 in 2023, James #2 in 1993.
The order changed in 2023: Henry moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #18 and #16; by 2023 that had become #8 and #15.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Henry #8, James #15.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys31 shared years, 1993–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 8 of those years, James in 23.
Highest recorded here: Henry #4 in 2023, James #3 in 1996.
The order changed in 2018: Henry moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #6 and #5; by 2018 that had become #5 and #11.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #6, James #15.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 9 of those years, James in 21.
Highest recorded here: Henry #10 in 2021, James #2 in 1997.
The order changed in 2017: Henry moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #15 and #12; by 2017 that had become #13 and #17.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #13, James #42.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Henry held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 28.
Highest recorded here: Henry #22 in 2023, James #1 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Henry #45, James #1.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Henry | James |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Home ruler, estate ruler. | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). |
| Origin | Germanic, via Old French Henri | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɛnɹi/ | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Harry, Hal, Heinrich, Henri | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #6 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | high | high |
What the data shows
- Henry is recorded with a Germanic, via Old French Henri origin, while James is recorded with a Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus origin.
- Henry and James both have 2 syllables.
- Henry's recorded meaning differs from James's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Henry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #102 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1993–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 1993–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
James
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #344 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #42 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys