James
/dʒeɪmz/noun
A common male given name and surname, derived from the biblical name of two apostles.
Did you know?The English name James ultimately comes from the same Hebrew source as Jacob, but it passed through Greek and Latin forms that transformed it so completely that the connection looks almost occult.
Etymological Timeline
Hebrew Bible
Hebrew
Yaʿaqov
“Jacob; a biblical patriarch’s name, traditionally linked with the heel-grabber story in Genesis”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Iakōbos
“A Greek form of Jacob used in the Septuagint and early Christian texts”
Late Latin
Latin
Iacomus
“A later Latin form of the name James, developing beside Iacobus”
Old French
Old French
Gemmes / James
“Medieval French forms that shifted the name toward the modern English shape”
Middle English
English
James
“The English personal name, especially associated with the apostles and later English kings”