James (name)

James is the English language New Testament (Vulgar/Later Latin) form of the Hebrew name Yaʻaqov (known as Jacob in its earlier Latin form).^[1] The name James came into the English language from the Old French variation James^[2] of the late Latin name Iacomus. This was a Vulgar/Later Latin (proto-Romance) variant of the earlier Latin form 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.

Translations

• 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)
• Biblical Hebrew: Yaakov
• 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), Kubi (informal)
• Danish: Jakob, Jeppe, Ib.
• Dutch: Jacob, Jacobus, Jakob, 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)
  • Jack, Jacky, Jackie (diminutive, chiefly British)
  • 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/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).
• 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
• 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
• Georgian: იაკობ (Iakob), კობა (Koba)
• German: Jakob, Jeckel (diminutive), Jäckel (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.
• 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
• 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, Mino
• Jerriais: Jimce
• Kannada: ಜೇಮ್ಸ್ (Jēms)
• Kazakh: Жақып (Zhaqip, Jacob), Якуб (Yakub, Yacoob)
• Kikuyu: Jemuthi, Jemethi, Jimmi
• Korean: 야고보 (Yakobo)
• Late Roman: Iacomus, Jacobus
• 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
• 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: جیمز (Jeimz), یعقوب(Yaʻqub)
• Polish: Jakub, Kuba, Kubuś (diminutive)
• Portuguese: Jacó (O.T. form), Jacob, Jaime, Iago, Tiago (contracted form — used in the N.T.), Diogo, Diego. Used only in Brazil: Thiago (Brazilian "anglicized" spelling), 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
• Scottish Gaelic: Seumas, Sheumais (vocative), Hamish (anglicized)
• Serbian (Cyrillic/Latinic): Јаков/Jakov (Yakov); Јакша/Jakša (Yaksha); Јаша/Jaša (Yasha) (diminutive)
• Sheng: Jaymo, Jemo, Jimmi, Jahshinki
• Sinhala: Diogu, ජාකොබ් (Jakob), Santhiyago, යාකොබ් (Yakob)
• Slovak: Jakub, Kubo, Kubko (diminutive), Jakubko (diminutive)
• Slovene: Jakob, Jaka
• Spanish: Jaime, Jacobo, Diego, Santiago, Santi, Iago, Jacoba (fem.), Santiaga (fem.)
• Swahili: Yakobo
• Swedish: Jakob
• Syriac: ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ (Yaqub)
• Tagalog: Jaime
• Tamil: ஜேம்ஸ் (Jēms)
• Telugu: జేమ్స్ (Jēms)
• Thai: เจมส์ (Jame, Cems̄̒)
• Turkish: Yakup, Yakub, Jakob
• Ukrainian: Яків (Yakiv)
• Urdu: جیمز (James), یعقوب (Yaqoob)
• Welsh: Iago, Siâms
• Yiddish: יעקב (Yʻqb), Kapel, Koppel, Yankel
• Yoruba Jakọbu, Jákọbù, Jakobu, Jak
• Zulu Jakobe, uJakobe, uJames, noJakobe

Popularity

James was the most common male name in the United States in 1990.^[3] 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.^[4]

It is currently the fifth most common name in the United States. 1/32 of all Americans are named James (3.1%).

In 2013, it was the eighth most popular name for boys in Australia.^[5]

In England and Wales, James has been one of the Top 20 most commonly given male names since at least 1954 and in the Top 10 since at least 1974.

See also

• James (surname)
• All pages beginning with "James"
• All pages beginning with "Jimmy"
• John (disambiguation) (similar name)

References

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article James.

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