Zachary vs James
How Zachary and James compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Zachary (boys) vs James (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Zachary | James |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1993 — 25,537 boys | 1947 — 94,763 boys |
| Peak rank | #15 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #216 (1,646 births) | #6 (11,945 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 538,897 | 5,250,515 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 28,241 | 128,527 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, James reached 94,763 US births in 1947 — 69,226 more than Zachary's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Zachary births | James births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Zachary | 25,137 | 24,777 |
| 2002 | James | 16,622 | 16,968 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Zachary — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | #78 | 1,177 |
| 2 | Connecticut | #83 | 439 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | #83 | 824 |
| 4 | New York | #85 | 2,213 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | #90 | 163 |
James — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #2 | 1,549 |
| 2 | Alabama | #2 | 2,711 |
| 3 | South Carolina | #3 | 2,285 |
| 4 | Tennessee | #4 | 3,524 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | #4 | 564 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →