James vs Joseph
James and Josephcompared 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 Joseph #34 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Joseph #64 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Joseph #82 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #15 and Joseph #33 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, James was ranked #15 and Joseph #69 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Joseph #56 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #355 and Joseph #465 among boys in Norway.
James and Joseph over time
James and Joseph appear together in 6 published lists, across 332 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Joseph in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 3 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
James and Joseph changed places 16 times in Norway · Boys between 1949 and 2025, ending at #355 and #465.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, James and Joseph averaged 8.5 places apart, ending at #40 and #56.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Joseph were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 74 years, from 1952 to 2025, ending at #15 and #33.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — James #1 in 2015, Joseph #22 in 2013.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys74 shared years, 1952–2025
James held the stronger position in 74 of those years, Joseph in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #3 in 1996, Joseph #32 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #15, Joseph #33.
New Zealand · Boys70 shared years, 1954–2023
James held the stronger position in 70 of those years, Joseph in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1993, Joseph #18 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: James #15, Joseph #69.
Norway · Boys69 shared years, 1949–2025
James held the stronger position in 58 of those years, Joseph in 11.
Highest recorded here: James #218 in 1978, Joseph #272 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #355, Joseph #465.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
James held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Joseph in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 1994, Joseph #11 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Joseph #64.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Joseph in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Joseph #7 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Joseph #56.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
James held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Joseph in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Joseph #22 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, Joseph #34.
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 | Joseph |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #33 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| 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 has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus); Joseph does not have one recorded yet.
- James and Joseph both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for James; Joseph doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives James a "high" Data Confidence level and Joseph 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
Joseph
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #326 among boys in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #33 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys