James vs Mason
James and Masoncompared 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 Mason #61 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Mason #75 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Mason #25 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #15 and Mason #56 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, James was ranked #15 and Mason #26 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Mason #63 among boys in England and Wales.
James and Mason over time
James and Mason appear together in 5 published lists, across 126 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Mason in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
James reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Mason 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
James and Mason changed places 6 times in New Zealand · Boys between 2000 and 2023, ending at #15 and #26.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, James and Mason averaged 48.0 places apart, ending at #40 and #63.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — James #1 in 2015, Mason #15 in 2013.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Mason in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Mason #27 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Mason #63.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1998–2024
James held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Mason in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Mason #15 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, Mason #61.
Republic of Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 1993–2025
James held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Mason in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2016, Mason #32 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Mason #75.
New Zealand · Boys24 shared years, 2000–2023
James held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Mason in 3.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 2007, Mason #4 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: James #15, Mason #26.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys22 shared years, 2003–2025
James held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Mason in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #5 in 2013, Mason #14 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #15, Mason #56.
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 | Mason |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | Originally an occupational surname/vocabulary word meaning 'stoneworker', later adopted as a given name. The deeper root of the word itself is disputed among etymologists — a Germanic (Frankish) origin versus an alternative Medieval Latin source. |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | English surname, from Old French masson/macon |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | /ˈmeɪsən/ |
| 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 #56 (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 Mason is recorded with a English surname, from Old French masson/macon origin.
- James and Mason both have 2 syllables.
- James's recorded meaning differs from Mason'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 Mason 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
Mason
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #339 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2000–2023
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in New Zealand, in 2014 (recorded 2000–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #56 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys