JIM KOIKE

Short form of James, already recorded as early as the Middle Ages and now also used independently. Well-known bearers of the name have included the Scottish racing driver Jim Clark (1936–68), the British comedian Jim Davidson (b. 1953), and the Canadian actor Jim Carrey (b. 1962).

Japanese: meaning ‘small lake’. Some families descend from the Taira clan, some from the northern Fujiwara, and others from the Seiwa-Genji. The surname is found chiefly in eastern Japan and also in the Ryūkyū Islands.