(male) English form of the name borne in the New Testament by two of Christ's disciples, James son of Zebedee and James son of Alphaeus. This form comes from Late Latin Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus, Latin form of Greek Iakobos. This is the same name as Old Testament Jacob (Hebrew Yaakov), but for many centuries now they have been thought of in the English-speaking world as two distinct names. In Britain, James is a royal name that from the beginning of the 15th century onwards was associated particularly with the Scottish house of Stewart: James I of Scotland (1394–1437; ruled 1424–37) was a patron of the arts and a noted poet, as well as an energetic ruler. King James VI of Scotland (1566–1625; reigned 1567–1625) succeeded to the throne of England in 1603. His grandson, James II of England (1633–1701; reigned 1685–8) was a Roman Catholic, deposed in 1688 in favour of his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. From then on he, his son (also called James), and his grandson Charles (‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’) made various unsuccessful attempts to recover the English throne. Their supporters were known as Jacobites (from Latin Iacobus), and the name James became for a while particularly associated with Roman Catholicism on the one hand, and Highland opposition to the English government on the other. Nevertheless, it has since become one of the most perennially popular boys' names.
Short form: Jim.
Pet forms: Jamey, Jamie, Jimmy, Jimmie.
Cognates: Irish: Séamas, Séamus, Seumas, Seumus. Scottish Gaelic: Seumas. Scottish (Anglicized); Hamish. Dutch: Jaume. French: Jacques. Spanish: Jaime. Catalan: Jaume. Portuguese: Jaime(s). Italian: Giacomo.
Northern Irish: 1. habitational name from a place near Glasgow, Scotland, named with the genitive case of the medieval personal name Hugh + Middle English tune, toun ‘settlement’, ‘village’ (Old English tūn ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’). The landlord in question is a certain Hugo de Paduinan, who held the place c.1160. The Scottish surname is common in Ulster. 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Uisdein, Mac Uistein (see McCutcheon).
FOREBEARS In 1836 the newly founded city of Houston, TX, was named in honor of Sam Houston (1793–1836), soldier and statesman. His ancestors were Ulster Scots who had emigrated to Philadelphia earlier in the 18th century. As commander in chief of the Texan army he achieved Texan independence from Mexico by routing the army of the Mexican general Santa Ana.
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![[Image: Color-coded map of the United States showing name distribution by state.]](/map/James.Houston.US.gif)
