Names of the Week
*
*
Word of the Week
 More

James Meaning

    

What does James mean?

The name James is of Hebrew origin.

The meaning of James is "supplanter".

James is generally used as a boy's name.

It consists of 5 letters and 1 syllable and is pronounced James.

The Given Name James

James is an anglicized form of the Latin Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus (the basis for Jacob) , which is a form of the Greek New Testament name Iakobos, itself a form of the Hebrew Old Testament name Yaakov.

In English, the names Jacob and James were originally considered distinct, but in other languages, such as French, no distinction was ever made.

In the New Testament, the name was borne by two apostles, Saint James the Greater and James the Lesser.

In Britain, the name James has long been a royal one.

In use since the 13th century, the name became more popular in Scotland where it has long been associated with the Scottish House of Stewart.

James falls into the classic name category.

Some famous bearers of this name include: James A. Garfield, and James Augustus Grant.

James Popularity

In the U.S. in 2018, it ranked 4 in baby name popularity for boys with 13,525 occurrences. It ranked 3,512 in baby name popularity for girls with 44 occurrences.

In contrast, the year before it ranked 4 in baby name popularity for boys with 14,291 occurrences. It ranked 2,363 in baby name popularity for girls with 77 occurrences.

Want to see how James sizes up? How it compares to some other names? Then check out the James Name Popularity Page.

James Related Names

James is a form of Iacomus.

Variants of the name James include Jame, Jamese, Jamez, Jaymes.

The names Diega, Diego, Giacobbe, Giacomo, Hamish, Hemi, Jacque, Jacques, Jaime, Jaimelynn, Jakome, Jamea, Jamee, Jamei, Jamesina, Jaume, Jaumet, Jaymie, Kimo, Seamus, Seumas are all forms of James.

James has the diminutives (nicknames) Jamie, Jem, Jemmy, Jim, Jimbo, Jimi, Jimmey, Jimmi, Jimmie, Jimmy, Jimy.

Famous Jamess

  • James ~ Biblical Character (Luke 6:16, Matt. 10:3, Matt. 4:21/Mark 3:17, Matt. 13:55), Saint
  • James A. Garfield ~ U. S. President (1881)
  • James Augustus Grant ~ Explorer
  • James B. Sumner ~ Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1946
  • James Benwick ~ Pride and Prejudice character
  • James Bird ~ Saint
  • James Black ~ Nobel Prize for Medicine 1988
  • James Bond ~ Dr. No character, Casino Royale character
  • James Brolin ~ Actor
  • James Brown ~ Soul Musician
  • James Bruce ~ Explorer
  • James Buchanan ~ U. S. President (1857-1861)
  • James Buzabalio ~ Saint
  • James Caan ~ Actor
  • James Cagney ~ Actor
  • James Callaghan ~ British Prime Minister (1976-1979)
  • James Cameron ~ Film Director
  • James Chadwick ~ Nobel Prize for Physics 1935
  • James Clark Ross ~ Explorer
  • James Claxton ~ Saint
  • James Clerk Maxwell ~ Scientist
  • James Coburn ~ Actor
  • James Cook ~ Explorer
  • James Cosmo ~ Actor
  • James Cromwell ~ Actor
  • James Cronin ~ Nobel Prize for Physics 1980
  • James D'Arcy ~ Actor
  • James Dean ~ Actor
  • James Denshi ~ Saint
  • James Duckett ~ Saint
  • James Dunn ~ Actor
  • James Earl Jones ~ Actor
  • James Faulkner ~ Actor
  • James Fayashida ~ Saint
  • James Fenimore Cooper ~ Writer
  • James Fenn ~ Saint
  • James Fox ~ Actor
  • James Franck ~ Nobel Prize for Physics 1925
  • James Franco ~ Actor
  • James Gandolfini ~ Actor
  • James Garner ~ Actor
  • James Gregory ~ Scientist
  • James Guengoro ~ Saint
  • James Harden ~ Basketball Player
  • James Heckman ~ Nobel Prize for Economics 2000
  • James Hetfield ~ Rock Musician
  • James Holland ~ Soccer Player
  • James Horner ~ Musician
  • James Hunt ~ Driver
  • James I ~ English King (1603-1625), Scottish King (1406-1437)
  • James II ~ Scottish King (1437-1460), English King (1685-1688)
  • James III ~ Scottish King (1460-1488)
  • James Intercisus ~ Saint
  • James IV ~ Scottish King (1488-1513)
  • James J. Hill ~ Business Mogul
  • James Joyce ~ Writer
  • James K. Polk ~ U. S. President (1845-1849)
  • James Kyushei Tomonaga ~ Saint
  • James Lafferty ~ Actor
  • James Lofton ~ Football Player
  • James M. Buchanan Jr. ~ Nobel Prize for Economics 1986
  • James Madison ~ U. S. President (1809-1817)
  • James Marsden ~ Actor
  • James Marsters ~ Actor
  • James Mason ~ Actor
  • James McAvoy ~ Actor
  • James McLamore ~ Business Mogul
  • James McNeill Whistler ~ Artist
  • James Meade ~ Nobel Prize for Economics 1977
  • James Mirrlees ~ Nobel Prize for Economics 1996
  • James Monroe ~ U. S. President (1817-1825)
  • James Morland ~ Northanger Abbey character
  • James Nam ~ Saint
  • James Nesbitt ~ Actor
  • James Newton Howard ~ Musician
  • James of Nisibis ~ Saint
  • James of Sasseau ~ Saint
  • James of Tarentaise ~ Saint
  • James Packer ~ Business Mogul
  • James Patterson ~ Writer
  • James Pickens, Jr. ~ Actor
  • James Potter ~ Harry Potter character
  • James Prescott Joule ~ Scientist
  • James Purefoy ~ Actor
  • James Rainwater ~ Nobel Prize for Physics 1975
  • James Rebhorn ~ Actor
  • James Reynolds ~ Actor
  • James Rodriguez ~ Soccer Player
  • James Rothman ~ Nobel Prize for Medicine 2013
  • James Scullin ~ Australian Prime Minister (1929-1932)
  • James Sirius Potter ~ Harry Potter character
  • James Spader ~ Actor
  • James Stewart ~ Actor
  • James the Deacon ~ Saint
  • James the Syrian ~ Saint
  • James Thomas 'Cool Papa' Bell ~ Baseball Player
  • James Thompson ~ Saint
  • James Tobin ~ Nobel Prize for Economics 1981
  • James Troisi ~ Soccer Player
  • James Tupper ~ Actor
  • James V ~ Scottish King (1513-1542)
  • James Van Der Beek ~ Actor
  • James VI ~ Scottish King (1567-1625)
  • James VII ~ Scottish King (1685-1689)
  • James Walworth ~ Saint
  • James Watson ~ Scientist, Nobel Prize for Medicine 1962
  • James Watt ~ Scientist
  • James Woods ~ Actor
  • James Worthy ~ Basketball Player

James Numerology

Want to know how your name choice may effect your child?

Then take a look at the Numerological Report For James.

It may give you some insight about your new baby.

Children named James are often careless and hopeful but most of all they are read more >>

James Name Fun

Would you like to fingerspell the name James in American Sign Language?

Then just follow the diagram below.

Be creative with the name James.

Just for fun, see the name James in Hieroglyphics, learn about ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics and write a Hieroglyphic message.

Learn about nautical flags and see your name or message written in nautical flags, on the James in Nautical Flags page.