James (name)

James is a given name of Hebrew origin, most commonly used for males.

This article is about the given name James. For the surname, see James (surname). For other uses, see James (disambiguation).
James
Pronunciation/dʒeɪmz/
GenderMale
Name dayJune 30th
Origin
Meaningsupplanter; one who follows
Other names
Related namesJacob, Jim, Jimmy, Jamie, Jaime, Jacques (French form), Giacomo (Italian form), Thiago (Portuguese form), Jakob, Iago (Cymraeg/Welsh form), Seumas Hamish (Scottish Gaelic and Scots form), Séamus (Irish form), Shamus, Yaʻqub (Arabic form), Jack, Jake, Jaimie, Diego (Spanish form), Diogo, Tiago, Hemi (Maori form), Jimbo, Iacomus, Яков (Russian form), Jakub, Kuba (Polish form)

Etymology

It is a modern descendant, through Old French James, of Vulgar Latin Iacomus (cf. Italian Giacomo, Portuguese Jaime, Spanish Diego), a derivative version of Latin Iacobus, Latin form of the Hebrew name Jacob.[1] The final -s in the English first names is typical of those borrowed from Old French, where it was the former masculine subject case (cf. Giles, Charles, etc.). James is a popular name worldwide, but it is most commonly seen in English-speaking populations.

Forms of James

Spellings
  • James (original)
  • Jaymes

Diminutives
  • Jack
  • Jae
  • Jay
  • Jem
  • Jaime
  • Jamey
  • Jamie
  • Jim
  • Jimbo
  • Jayemie
  • Jimi
  • Jimmer
  • Jimmie
  • Jimmy
  • Jaem

Abbreviations
  • Jas (English)

Variants of James and Jacob in various languages
  • Jack, Jacky, Jackie (diminutive, chiefly British)
  • Afrikaans: Jakobus, Koos (diminutive), Kobus (diminutive), Jakko (diminutive)
  • Albanian: Jakup, Jakub, Jakob or Jakov
  • Alemannic: Köbi, Chöbi, Jockel, Jakobli (diminutive), Jockeli (diminutive), Joggi
  • Amharic: ያዕቆብ (Ya‘əqob)
  • Arabic: يعقوب (Yaʻqub)
  • Armenian: Յակոբ in classical orthography and Հակոբ in reformed orthography (Western: Hagop, Eastern: Hakob)
  • Asturian: Diegu, Xacobu, Xaime
  • Azerbaijani: Yaqub
  • Basque: Jakue, Jakob, Jakobe, Jagoba, Jaime, Jakes; Jakoba, Jagobe (feminized); Jago (diminutive)
  • Belarusian: Jakub, Якуб (Yakub), Jakaŭ, Якаў (Yakaw)
  • Bengali: জেমস (Jēms/Jēmsh), ইয়াকুব (Iyakub)
  • Biblical Hebrew: Yaakov (יעקב)
  • Bosnian: Jakub
  • Breton: Jagu, Jagut, Jacut, Jak, Jakes, Jakez, Jakezig, Jakou, Jalm, Chalm
  • Bulgarian: Яков (Yakov)
  • Catalan: Jaume, Xaume, Jacme, Jacob, Dídac, Santiago
  • Chinese: 詹姆斯 (Zhānmǔsī), 詹姆士 (Zhānmǔshī), 占士 (Zhànshì)
  • Cornish: Jago, Jammes, Jamma
  • Croatian: Jakov, Jakob, Jakša
  • Czech: Jakub, Jakoubek (diminutive), Kuba (diminutive), Kubík (diminutive), Kubíček (diminutive), Kubas (informal, uncommon), Kubi (informal)
  • Danish: Ib, Jacob, Jakob, Jeppe, Jim, Jimmy
  • Dutch: Jacob, Jacobus, Jakob, Jaco, Jacco, Cobus, Coos, Jaap, Kobe, Kobus, Koos, Sjaak, Sjakie
  • English:
    • Jacob
    • Jakob (uncommon, by way of German, Yiddish, etc.)
    • Jacoby (rare, chiefly American, and originally a surname)
    • Jake, Jakey (diminutive)
    • Coby/Koby (diminutive, uncommon, chiefly American)
    • Jamie (diminutive, found in all primarily English-speaking lands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, etc.)
    • Jaime/Jaimie (diminutive, uncommon, chiefly American, and by way of Spanish)
    • Jim
    • Jimmy/Jimy/Jimmi/Jimi/Jimmie (diminutive)
    • Jimbo (diminutive)
    • Jambo
    • Jay
    • James
    • Jem (diminutive, also taken as a diminutive for Jeremiah, Jeremy or Jemma)
    • Jacqueline/Jaqueline (feminized, by way of French)
    • Jacqui/Jaqui (feminized diminutive), Jackie (feminized diminutive, chiefly American), Jacki (feminized diminutive)
    • Jamie/Jamey/Jami (feminized)
    • Jamesina (feminine form)
    • Geamns (avant-garde)
  • Esperanto: Jakobo
  • Estonian: Jakob, Jaakob, Jaagup, Jaak
  • Faroese: Jákup, Jakku (only in double names such as Jóan Jakku, Hans Jakku. Previously spelled Jacob/Jakob)
  • Filipino: Jaimé (in the Bible, the name is translated "Santiago")
  • Finnish: Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jaakko, Jaska, Jimi
  • French: Jacques, Jacqueline (feminized), James, Jammes, Jacob, Jacquot (diminutive), Jacot (diminutive), Jacotte (feminized), Jaco (diminutive), Jack (diminutive), Jacky (diminutive), Jacq (diminutive), Jacquy (diminutive)
  • Friulian: Jacum
  • Galician: Xaime, Iago, Diego, Xacobe, Xácome
  • Georgian: იაკობ (Iakob), კობა (Koba)
  • German: Jakob, Jakobus, Jeckel (diminutive), Jäckel (diminutive), Köbes (diminutive), Jackl (Bavarian diminutive), Köbi ([Swiss German] diminutive)
  • Greek: Ιακώβ (Iakov, in the Septuagint), Ιάκωβος (Iakovos, New Testament), Γιακουμής (Yakoumis, colloquial, possibly also from Ιωακείμ (Joachim)), Ιακωβίνα (Iakovina, feminized), Γιάγκος (Yangos, probably through Slavic languages, Δημήτρης (Dimitris) possibly also from Ιωάννης/Γιάννης [Ioannis/Yannis, John]), Ζάκης or Ζακ (Zakis or Zak, French-sounding)
  • Hawaiian: Kimo, Iakopo
  • Hebrew: יעקב (Ya'aqov),קובי (Kobi : diminutive from Ya'akov), ג'קי (Jacky : diminutive from Ya'akov) יענקל'ה (Yankele - probably through Yiddish)
  • Hindi: जेम्स (Jēmsa)
  • Hungarian: Jakab, Jákob
  • Icelandic: Jakob
  • Igbo Jems, James, Jekọb
  • Indonesian: Yakobus
  • Irish: Séamas/Seumas/Séamus, Shéamais (vocative, whence Anglicised: Hamish), Seamus (anglicized), Shamus (anglicized), Séimí (diminutive), Séimín (diminutive), Iacób
  • Italian: Giacomo, Iacopo or Jacopo, Giacobbe, Giacomino, Giaco, Giamo, Mino
  • Japanese: ジェームス (Jēmusu)
  • Jerriais: Jimce
  • Kannada: ಜೇಮ್ಸ್ (Jēms)
  • Kazakh: Жақып (Zhaqip, Jacob), Якуб (Yakub, Yacoob)
  • Kikuyu: Jemuthi, Jemethi, Jimmi, Jakubu (Pronounced "Jakufu")
  • Korean: 제임스 (Jeimseu), 야고보 (Yakobo)
  • Late Roman: Iacomus
  • Latin: Iacobus, Iacomus (vulgarized), Didacus (later Latin)
  • Latvian: Jēkabs, Jākubs, Jakobs
  • Lithuanian: Jokūbas
  • Macedonian: Јаков (Yakov)
  • Malay: يعقوب (Ya'qub), Ya'kub, Yakub
  • Malayalam: Chacko, Jacob, Yakkob (pronounced Yah-kohb)
  • Maltese: Ġakbu, Ġakmu, Jakbu
  • Manx: Jayms
  • Māori: Hemi
  • Northern Sami: Jáhkot
  • Norwegian: Jakob, Jakop, Jeppe
  • Occitan: Jacme (pronounced Jamme), Jaume, Jammes (surname, pronounced Jamme), James (surname, pronounced Jamme)
  • Persian: یعقوب(Yaʻqub)
  • Piedmontese: Giaco, Jaco (Montferrat dialect); diminutive: Giacolin, Giacolèt, Jacolin
  • Polish: Jakub, Kuba (diminutive), Kubuś (diminutive endearing)
  • Portuguese: Jacó (O.T. form), Jacob, Jaime, Iago, Tiago (contracted form used in the N.T.), Thiago (variant used in Brazil), Diogo, Diego, Santiago, Jaqueline (fem.)
  • Provençal: Jacme
  • Punjabi: ਜੇਮਸ (Jēmasa)
  • Romanian: Iacob, Iacov
  • Russian: Иаков (Iakov) (archaic O.T. form), Яков (Yakov, Iakov), Яша (Yasha) (diminutive)
  • Samoan: Iakopo, Semisi, Simi (Jim)
  • Sardinian: Giagu (Logudorese), Iacu (Nuorese)
  • Scots: Jeams, Jeames, Jamie, Jizer, Jamesie
  • Scottish Gaelic: Seumas, Sheumais (vocative), Hamish (anglicized)
  • Serbian (Cyrillic/Latinic): Јаков/Jakov (Yakov); Јакша/Jakša (Yaksha); Јаша/Jaša (Yasha) (diminutive)
  • Sinhala: දියෝගු (Diogu), ජාකොබ් (Jakob), යාකොබ් (Yakob)
  • Slovak: Jakub, Kubo, Kubko (diminutive), Jakubko (diminutive)
  • Slovene: Jakob, Jaka
  • Somali: Yacquub
  • Spanish: Jaime, Jacobo, Yago, Diego, Tiago, Santiago, Jacoba (fem.), Jacob
  • Swahili: Yakobo
  • Swedish: Jakob
  • Sylheti: য়াকুব (Yakub)
  • Syriac: ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ (Yaqub)
  • Tagalog: Jaime
  • Tamil: ஜேம்ஸ் (Jēms)
  • Telugu: యాకోబు (Yākôbu) జేమ్స్ (Jēms)
  • Thai: เจมส์ (Jame, Cems̄̒)
  • Turkish: Yakup, Yakub
  • Ukrainian: Яків (Yakiv)
  • Urdu: جیمز (James), یعقوب (Yaqoob)
  • Welsh: Iago, Siâms
  • Yiddish: יעקב (Yankev), Kapel, Koppel, Yankel
  • Yoruba Jákó̩bù, Jakobu
  • Zulu: Jakobe

Popularity

James is one of the most common male names in the English-speaking world. In the United States, James was one of the five most common given names for male babies for most of the twentieth century. Its popularity peaked during the Baby Boom (Census records 1940–1960), when it was the most popular name for baby boys. Its popularity has declined considerably over the past thirty years, but it still remains one of the twenty most common names for boys.[2]

In Northern Ireland, the name has appeared among the 10 most popular for the last quarter of the 20th century and into the 21st.[3] In 2013, James was the eighth most popular name for boys in Australia.[4]

See also

References
  1. "James". Behind the Name. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  2. "Top Names Over the Last 100 Years". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  3. "Jack and Emma were the most popular first names in Northern Ireland in 2003" (PDF) (Press release). Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 2004-01-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2008-02-14. Only one of the top 10 boy's names in 1975 (James) is still in the top 10 in 2003....
  4. "Australia's 100 most popular baby names". Kidspot. April 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
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