Origins of the James surname

What does the name James mean?

The James surname is common around the world, deriving from the popular first name. The surname James is English in origin and believed to be patronymic, describing someone who is the son or descendant of James.

Alternative variations of the name James

James, Jame, Jaimes, Jemes, Games

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Delve deeper into the James family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1600North West 1109Isle of Man 36Yorkshire 2112East Midlands 895West Midlands 3788East 2403London 9495South East 4310South West 14659South Wales 5358Mid Wales 3255West Wales 178North Wales 339Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Jameses lived in south-west

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

97,000 James Travel & migration records
630,000 Jameses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about James

How common is your surname?

41st most common surname in the UK

We have for the James surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Jameses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Jameses.

What are the most common James first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of James family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Jameses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Jameses in 1921

Dressmaker

3,177

Domestic Servant

1,730

General Servant Domestic

1,578

Laundress

1,574

General Servant

1,440

Common male occupations for Jameses in 1921

Coal Miner

3,994

Farmer

3,136

Agricultural Labourer

2,582

Carpenter

2,114

General Labourer

2,028

We found over 520,000 family trees with the James surname

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