The name Jamison is of Scottish origin and means "son of James". It is a variant of the more common Scottish surname Jamieson, which also means "son of James". The name James itself is derived from the Latin name Jacobus, which was a Latin form of the Hebrew name Jacob.
Jamison has been used as a given name since at least the 18th century. It was particularly popular in Scotland during this time and continued to be so throughout the Victorian era. However, it did not become widely used outside of Scotland until the latter half of the 20th century.
Today, Jamison is considered a unisex name but is more commonly used for boys. It has been consistently popular in the United States since the 1980s, reaching its peak popularity in the late 1990s when it was among the top 150 names for boys.
Some famous people with the name Jamison include American actor and musician Jamie Foxx (born Eric Marlon Bishop), Canadian ice hockey player Jamie Benn, and American basketball player Jamal Crawford. However, there are no significant historical figures or saints associated with this name.
In literature, Jamison has appeared as a character's name in several works, including the novel "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath and the play "Angels in America" by Tony Kushner. It also appears in popular culture, such as in the video game series "Red Dead Redemption" where one of the main characters is named Jamison Marston.
Overall, Jamison is a name with a long history and Scottish origins that has gained popularity worldwide over the past few decades. Its meaning, "son of James," gives it a strong connection to the Bible and Jewish culture through its Hebrew roots.
The name Jamison has seen a significant increase in popularity over the past few decades in the United States. According to the statistics provided, there were only 5 births with the name Jamison in 1931. However, starting from the late 1960s, there was a noticeable rise in the number of babies named Jamison each year.
In 1969, there were 121 births, and by 1973, this number had more than doubled to 364. The trend continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with peaks in 1979 (218 births) and 1985 (266 births). After a slight dip in the early 1990s, the popularity of the name Jamison began to soar again.
From 1998 onwards, there were consistently over 200 births per year with the name Jamison. The peak was reached in 2013 with 615 births, making it one of the most popular boy's names that year. Since then, the popularity has somewhat decreased but remains stable, with 486 births recorded in 2022 and 413 in 2023.
In total, there have been 20,126 births registered with the name Jamison in the United States since 1931. This demonstrates that while Jamison may not have always been a common name, it has certainly become popular among parents in recent decades.