Baron James Mayer de Rothschild was a German-French banker and the founder of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family.

The Rothschild banking family of France is the French branch of the Rothschild family. It was founded in 1812 by James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868) in Paris, which was then part of the First French Empire. He was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812). Wanting his sons to succeed on their own and to expand the family business across Europe, Mayer Amschel Rothschild had his eldest son remain in Frankfurt, while his four other sons were sent to different European cities to establish a financial institution to invest in business and provide banking services. Endogamy within the family was an essential part of the Rothschild strategy in order to ensure control of their wealth remained in family hands.