James (name)

Look up James in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

James came into English language from the Old French variation James^[1] of the late Latin name Iacomus. This was a dialect variant of Iacobus, from the New Testament Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יעקב (Yaʻaqov) (Jacob). The development Iacobus > Iacomus is likely a result of nasalization of the o and assimilation to the following b (i.e., intermediate *Iacombus) followed by simplification of the cluster mb through loss of the b. Diminutives include: Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie, Jamie, Jimbo, and others.

Cognates

James in Hebrew is Santiadous

• 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 TAO and Հակոբ in RAO (Western: Hagop, Eastern: Hakob)
• Asturian: Diegu, Xacobu, Xaime
• Azerbaijani: Yaqub
• Basque: Jakes, Jakobe (feminized), Jakue, Jagoba, Jago (diminutive)
• Belarusian: Jakub, Якуб (Yakub), Jakaŭ, Якаў (Yakaw)
• Bosnian: Jakub
• Breton: Jagu, Jagut, Jacut, Jak, Jakes, Jakez, Jakezig, Jakou
• Bulgarian: Яков (Yakov)
• Catalan: Jaume, Xaume, Jacme, Jacob, Dídac, Santiago
• Cornish: Jago, Jammes, Jamma
• Croatian: Jakov, Jakob, Jakša
• Czech: Jakub, Jakoubek (diminutive), Kuba (diminutive), Kubík (diminutive), Kubíček (diminutive), Kubas (informal, uncommon), Kubes (informal, uncommon), Kubis (informal, uncommon), Kubi (informal, uncommon)
• Danish: Jakob, Jeppe, Ib.
• Dutch: Jakob, Jacobus, Jaap, Jobby, Cobus, Koos
• English:
  • Jacob
  • Jakob (uncommon, by way of German, Yiddish, etc.)
  • Jacoby (rare, chiefly American, and originally a surname)
  • Jake, Jakey (diminutive)
  • Jack, Jacky, Jackie (diminutive, chiefly British)
  • Coby/Koby (diminutive, uncommon, chiefly American)
  • Jamie (diminutive, found in all primarily English-speaking lands, U.K., Ireland, Canada, U.S.A., etc.)
  • Jaime/Jaimie (diminutive, uncommon, chiefly American, and by way of Spanish)
  • Jim
  • Jimmy/Jimmi/Jimi (diminutive)
  • Jimbo (diminutive)
  • Jambo
  • Jay
  • Jamesy
  • 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).
• Estonian: Jakob, Jaakob, Jaagup, Jaak
• Faroese: Jákup
• Filipino: Jaimé
• Finnish: 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
• Georgian: იაკობ (Iakob), კობა (Koba)
• German: Jakob, Jeckel (diminutive), Jaeckel (diminutive), Köbes (diminutive), Jackl (bavarian 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, possibly also from Ιωάννης/Γιάννης [Ioannis/Yannis, John]), Ζάκης or Ζακ (Zakis or Zak, French-sounding). James (and so Jim and Jimmy) are anglicized from the Greek name Dimitri as used by the Greek diaspora in the USA, even though the names are etymologically unrelated.
• Hebrew: יעקב (Ya'aqov),קובי (Kobi : diminutive from Ya'akov), ג'קי (Jacky : diminutive from Ya'akov) יענקל'ה (Yankele - probably through Yiddish)
• Hungarian: Jakab
• Icelandic: Jakob
• 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
• Kazakh: Жақып (Zhaqip, Jacob), Якуб (Yakub, Yacoob)
• Korean: Yagobo (야고보)
• Latin: Iacobus, Iacomus (vulgarized)
• Latvian: Jēkabs, Jākubs, Jakobs, Jakovs
• Lithuanian: Jokūbas
• Macedonian: Јаков (Yakov)
• Malay: يعقوب (Ya'qub), Ya'kub, Yakub
• Malayalam: Chacko, Jacob (pronounced Yah-kohb)
• Maltese: Ġakbu, Ġakmu, Jakbu
• Mandarin: 雅各 (yǎgè)
• Manx: Jayms
• Māori: Hemi
• Norwegian: Jakob, Jeppe
• Occitan: Jacme (pronounced Jamme), Jaume, Jammes (surname, pronounced Jamme), James (surname, pronounced Jamme)
• Persian: یعقوب, جیمز
• Polish: Jakub, Kuba, Kubuś (diminutive)
• Portuguese: Jacó (O.T. form), Jacob, Jaime, Iago, Tiago (contracted form — used in the N.T.), Diogo. Used only in Brazil: Thiago (Brazilian "anglicized" spelling), Diego, Jaqueline (fem.)
• Provençal: Jacme
• Romanian: Iacob, Iacov
• Russian: Иаков (Iakov) (archaic O.T. form), Яков (Yakov), Яша (Yasha) (diminutive)
• Sardinian: Giagu (Logudorese), Iacu (Nuorese)
• Scots: Jeams, Jeames, Jamie
• Scottish Gaelic: Seumas, Sheumais (vocative), Hamish (anglicized)
• Serbian (Cyrillic/Latinic): Јаков/Jakov (Yakov); Јакша/Jakša (Yaksha); Јаша/Jaša (Yasha) (diminutive)
• Sinhala: Diogu, Santhiyago
• Slovak: Jakub, Kubo, Kubko (diminutive), Jakubko (diminutive)
• Slovene: Jakob, Jaka
• Spanish: Jaime, Jacobo, Diego
• Swahili: Yakobo
• Swedish: Jakob
• Syriac: ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ (Yaqub)
• Tagalog: Jaime
• Thai: เจมส์ (Jame)
• Turkish: Yakup, Yakub, Jakob
• Ukrainian: Яків (Yakiv)
• Welsh: Iago, Siâms

Popularity

James was the most common male name in the United States in 1990.^[2] Likewise, 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]

It is currently the fifth most common name in the United States. 1/32 of all Americans are named James (3.1%).^{[citation needed]}

In 2013 it was the eighth most popular name for boys in Australia.^[4]

See also

• James (surname)
• Wikipedia articles related to the name James
• Wikipedia articles related to the name Jimmy

References

• http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_James.html