Talk:James (name)

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top importance predicated on the status in the United States 1990 census as most popular given name. --User:Ceyockey (talk to me) 01:53, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

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[edit] Cognates

Can we be absolutely sure that the French Gemmes came from Jacob? They sound very different, and I am a little suspicious of "cognate names". I know when translating names from Scottish Gaelic to English, often they just used an English version that sounded similar, or even just had the same first letter, but which had no relation in meaning. Or for example I had a Korean colleague called Sung-Hee, and her host family just decided to give her the English name Stacey, because it is a girls name starting with "S" and was easier for them to say. If she became famous, in a hundred years time we might see in English-Korean translation guides that Sung-Hee is Stacey in English. Over time what was once expedient can become official.

(58.164.29.160 21:57, 27 June 2007 (UTC))

There is no real Chinese cognate to "James". The Chinese "name" mentioned here is a transcription of the English name. For that matter most English/western names have no cognates in east Asian languages. tess (talk) 20:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

James Dunn who lives in chico california has a small dick and is gay.68.124.129.31 (talk) 19:43, 26 May 2008 (UTC)Jame's mom

[edit] Diminutive

Does the creator of this page know the meaning of diminutive? As far as I know , a diminutive is not just any shorter form of a name but a form of a name that is specifically used to denote smallness in its broadest sense (for example a diminutive might be used to convey intimacy). Some names may have started as a diminutive and may have become just another (informal) variant of the name. I wouldnt mind if those names were called diminutives (such as Jamie). But has Jake ever been used as a diminutive?

merijn

[edit] Supplanter

I note that many "baby names" sites give "supplanter" as the meaning of the name. That's probably out of embarassment, since "he grabs the heel" doesn't sound like a very cool or auspicious name to give your baby son. However, the literal meaning of the name is really "he heeled" or similar. It is true that Jacob was a "supplanter" of his older brother, but that's in the Genesis narrative, not in the name. dab (š’³) 15:50, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Merger proposal

[edit] Two Different Times of Prevalent Use

My understanding is that the name "James" was derived from "Jacob." I do not believe the two entries should be merged because to the best of my knowledge (which is not absolute), there is no reference to anyone named James in the Old Testament. However, James is already a common name amongst the Hebrews during the time period of the New Testament. Now, without doing any extensive research, I understand that it is clearly used at that time completely separate from the name Jacob. I take this as a strong indication that the language and culture that originated these names had already made a complete distinction between the two names, and their subsquent, but separate histories grew onward from this. An example would be the use of "Joshua" or "Yeshua" and the name "Jesus." I would merge those two entries because the name Jesus did not even exist then. The person we call Christ's name was in fact Yeshua, or Joshua. This is not the same of James and Jacob because I have never understood the use of the name James in New Testament times to be synonymous with Jacob. Even the Hebrews of the period knew it as a derivation, not the same name. ā€”Preceding unsigned comment added by ProperGood (talk ā€¢ contribs) 21:26, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] James isn't Jacob even though it is dervied from it

James shouldn't be joined to the page for Jacob. As the article states, this is a common US name as well as English... The name Tanya itself means 'Fairy Queen' should that be associated with an aramaic/slavic/latin fairy queen page? Other names and words have common derivatives but aren't joined together so in my view neither should James. James derives from Jacob, Yacob>>>IAKOBUS(Greek)>>>>>GEMMES(FRENCH)>>>>James(ENGLISH).--86.153.91.60 (talk) 04:41, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

To combine James with Jacob is like proposing to combine the United States with England. Yes the US and some of its customs (such as Common Law) are derived from England but the US is a totally different entity. Sallicio (talk) 02:59, 1 February 2008 (UTC)Sallicio

Oppose: the two names are related but by no means closely enough to be considered together. --User:Ceyockey (talk to me) 01:45, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

  • Oppose the names are related but distinct, like a multitude of other names that have their own article. Discussion is also at at Talk:Jacob (name), which has 1 Oppose, 2 Supports at the time of my writing. - Draeco (talk) 05:45, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

OPPOSE First of all, James is the most popular name in America and one of the top in other countries. Therefore, the most popular and relevant, and thus most important, name should have its own page if other names have theirs. Also, just because a name is DERIVED from another name, it is not the same name. James != Jacob If you had a friend named James, would you call him Jacob? Cubie Newbie (talk) 23:04, 4 April 2008 (UTC)