Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “James” come from?

James comes from Old French James, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος, from Hebrew יעקב, meaning "heel-grabber" or derived from עקב meaning "heel."

Ancestry of “James”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishJames—
2Old Frenchjamésever; never
3Latiniamalready; now; anymore
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanHyā́m—

Words derived from “James”

  • Jameson
  • Jamestown
  • Seamus
  • Jamesian
  • Jamesonian
  • Semaj
  • jamesite
  • Ĵamestaŭno
  • ジェームス
  • James
  • James
  • Séamaisín
  • Séamas
  • James
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hyā́m →