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James
JamesSay it JAYMZ
- Meaning
- Heel-catcher, that is, supplanter; the same name as Jacob Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G2385
- Say it
- JAYMZ
James
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James meaning
James is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin (via Greek).
Heel-catcher, that is, supplanter; the same name as Jacob
James is the English form of Iakōbos, the New Testament Greek form of Jacob. Strong's Concordance calls it the same name as Jacob, simply made Greek, and Jacob, the Hebrew Ya'aqob, it explains as "heel-catcher", that is, "supplanter", recalling the story of Jacob born holding his twin brother Esau's heel (Genesis 25:26). Two of Jesus' twelve apostles were called James: James the son of Zebedee, brother of John, the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament, and James the son of Alphaeus. Tradition links James son of Zebedee with Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Name lists give "supplanter", as Strong's does. The name is used in Christian families in India.
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G2385 · entry Iakōbos · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's Greek 2385, Iakōbos (Bible Hub) · Strong's Hebrew 3290, Ya'aqob (Bible Hub) · Britannica, St. James, son of Zebedee
Famous namesakes
- Saint James, son of Zebedee, apostle
Popularity abroad
- #6 United States, boys 2025 (down 1 from 5 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #42 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.