James vs Jordan
James and Jordancompared 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, James was ranked #1 and Jordan #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Jordan #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Jordan #169 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #15 and Jordan #90 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, James was ranked #15 and Jordan #51 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Jordan #213 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, James was ranked #5493 and Jordan #3447 among girls in England and Wales.
James and Jordan over time
James and Jordan appear together in 5 published lists, across 186 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Jordan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 2 of the lists they share.
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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 40 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, James and Jordan averaged 40.7 places apart, ending at #15 and #90.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Jordan were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 40 years, from 1985 to 2025, ending at #15 and #90.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — James #2 in 1997, Jordan #10 in 1997.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1997 they stood at #3 and #6 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2024 they were #1 and #404.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1978–2025
James held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 1994, Jordan #20 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Jordan #179.
New Zealand · Boys42 shared years, 1982–2023
James held the stronger position in 42 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1993, Jordan #7 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: James #15, Jordan #51.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys40 shared years, 1985–2025
James held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #3 in 1996, Jordan #14 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #15, Jordan #90.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Jordan #10 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Jordan #213.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
James held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Jordan #6 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, Jordan #404.
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 | James | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | From the Jordan River, from Hebrew Yarden ('descend, flow down'). Crusaders brought water from the river to baptize children in Europe after John the Baptist baptized Jesus there. |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | /ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- James is recorded with a Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus origin, while Jordan is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) origin.
- James and Jordan both have 2 syllables.
- James's recorded meaning differs from Jordan's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives James a "high" Data Confidence level and Jordan a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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 #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Jordan
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #283 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys