James vs Logan
James and Logancompared 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 Logan #67 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Logan #121 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Logan #29 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, James was ranked #15 and Logan #79 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #21 and Logan #81 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Logan #76 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, James was ranked #5493 and Logan #2449 among girls in England and Wales.
James and Logan over time
James and Logan appear together in 5 published lists, across 151 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Logan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
James reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Logan in none. 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, James and Logan averaged 42.2 places apart, ending at #21 and #81.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Logan were both ranked in New Zealand · Boys for 45 years, from 1979 to 2023, ending at #15 and #79.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — James #1 in 2015, Logan #10 in 2017.
List by list
New Zealand · Boys45 shared years, 1979–2023
James held the stronger position in 45 of those years, Logan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1993, Logan #18 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: James #15, Logan #79.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Logan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Logan #20 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Logan #76.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
James held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Logan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #5 in 1999, Logan #30 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #21, Logan #81.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2024
James held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Logan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Logan #10 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, Logan #67.
Republic of Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 1997–2025
James held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Logan in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2016, Logan #41 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Logan #121.
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 | Logan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | Derived from a Scottish place name in Ayrshire, traditionally interpreted as 'little hollow', from Gaelic lag ('hollow, pit') plus a diminutive suffix — became a Scottish surname before being adopted as a given name. |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Scottish Gaelic, place-name-turned-surname-turned-given-name |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | /ˈloʊɡən/ |
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #121 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| 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 Logan is recorded with a Scottish Gaelic, place-name-turned-surname-turned-given-name origin.
- James and Logan both have 2 syllables.
- James's recorded meaning differs from Logan'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 Logan 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
Logan
Popularity journey
First recorded1979
First recorded at #65 among boys in New Zealand in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2017 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #121 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys