Jim
Jim is a masculine given name. It is often short for James, Jimena, or Jimmy.
Meaning & Origin of Jim
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jim is a masculine given name. It is often short for James, Jimena, or Jimmy.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Jim
Jim first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 345 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 5,687 Jims were born — ranking #70 that year. As of 2026, Jim ranks #5,088 for baby boys with 19 births, falling sharply (-35%). In total, more than 153K Jims have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Jim
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Jim Abbott (born 1967), American baseball player
- Jim Acosta (born 1971), American journalist
- Jim Adkins (born 1975), American rock musician, lead guitarist and vocalist of band Jimmy Eat World
- Jim Al-Khalili (born 1962), British physicist and author
- Jim Bacchus (born 1949), American politician
- Jim Backus (1913–1989), American actor
- Jim Baker (1818–1898), American explorer
- Jim Bakker (born 1940), American televangelist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Jim
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jim is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jim
What does the name Jim mean?
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About the name Jim
Jim is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 153K births in the dataset. Jim's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #45. Use the chart and map above to compare Jim's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1959 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.