James vs Shane
James and Shanecompared 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 Shane #216 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1996, James was ranked #3 and Shane #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Shane #152 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1998, James was ranked #5 and Shane #90 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Shane #478 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Shane #857 among boys in England and Wales.
James and Shane over time
James and Shane appear together in 5 published lists, across 205 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Shane in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Shane reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
James and Shane changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #4 and #152.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 43 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, James and Shane averaged 25.8 places apart, ending at #3 and #83.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Shane were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 43 years, from 1954 to 1996, ending at #3 and #83.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — James #2 in 1997, Shane #74 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
James held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Shane in 2.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 1994, Shane #3 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Shane #152.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys43 shared years, 1954–1996
James held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Shane in 5.
Highest recorded here: James #3 in 1996, Shane #15 in 1971.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1996: James #3, Shane #83.
New Zealand · Boys43 shared years, 1955–1998
James held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Shane in 7.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1993, Shane #12 in 1968.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1998: James #5, Shane #90.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shane in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Shane #74 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Shane #857.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
James held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Shane in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Shane #41 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, Shane #216.
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 | Shane |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | An Anglicized form of Seán, ultimately from Hebrew elements meaning 'Yahweh' and 'gracious' — the same root tradition as John. Popularised in America by the 1953 western film Shane. |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Hebrew, via Irish Seán |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | /ˈʃeɪn/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus | Seán, Sean, Shaun, Shawn |
| 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 #152 (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 | high |
What the data shows
- James is recorded with a Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus origin, while Shane is recorded with a Hebrew, via Irish Seán origin.
- James and Shane both have 2 syllables.
- James's recorded meaning differs from Shane's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Shane
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1996 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #152 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys