James vs Rodney
James and Rodneycompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1995, James was ranked #2 and Rodney #301 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1983, James was ranked #10 and Rodney #87 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1974, James was ranked #13 and Rodney #99 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Rodney #2671 among boys in England and Wales.
James and Rodney over time
James and Rodney appear together in 4 published lists, across 100 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Rodney in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Rodney reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, James 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 32 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, James and Rodney averaged 21.7 places apart, ending at #10 and #87.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Rodney were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 32 years, from 1952 to 1983, ending at #10 and #87.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — James #2 in 1997, Rodney #1055 in 1998.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys32 shared years, 1952–1983
James held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Rodney in 1.
Highest recorded here: James #9 in 1982, Rodney #17 in 1966.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1983: James #10, Rodney #87.
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Rodney in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Rodney #1055 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Rodney #2671.
Republic of Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 1964–1995
James held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Rodney in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1995, Rodney #135 in 1972.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1995: James #2, Rodney #301.
New Zealand · Boys20 shared years, 1954–1974
James held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Rodney in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #13 in 1974, Rodney #42 in 1967.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1974: James #13, Rodney #99.
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 | Rodney |
|---|---|---|
| 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, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2671 (2024) |
| 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); Rodney does not have one recorded yet.
- James and Rodney both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for James; Rodney doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives James a "high" Data Confidence level and Rodney 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
Rodney
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1983
Highest recorded position: #17 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1966 (recorded 1952–1983).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2671 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys