Jameson

  • [ JAY-mi-sən ]
  • English
From an English surname meaning "son of JAMES".

JAMES   male   English, Biblical
English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (see JACOB). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.

Since the 13th century this name has been used in England, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. Famous bearers include the English explorer Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming.
JACOB   male   English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, Biblical
From the Latin Iacobus, which was from the Greek Ιακωβος (Iakobos), which was from the Hebrew name יַעֲקֹב (Ya'aqov). In the Old Testament Jacob (later called Israel) is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the father of the twelve founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born holding his twin brother Esau's heel, and his name is explained as meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter", because he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son (see Genesis 27:36). Other theories claim that it is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Ya'aqov'el) meaning "may God protect".

The English names Jacob and James derive from the same source, with James coming from Latin Iacomus, a later variant of Iacobus. Unlike English, many languages do not have separate spellings for the two names.

In England, Jacob was mainly regarded as a Jewish name during the Middle Ages, though the variant James was used among Christians. Jacob came into general use as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), the German linguist and writer who was, with his brother Wilhelm, the author of 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'.
OTHER FORMS
ARABIC: Yakub, Yaqoob, Yaqub
ARMENIAN: Hagop, Hakob
BASQUE: Jakes, Xanti
BIBLICAL GREEK: Iakobos
BIBLICAL HEBREW: Yaakov
BIBLICAL LATIN: Iacobus
BIBLICAL: Jacob, James
BULGARIAN: Yakov, Zhaklina
CATALAN: Dídac, Jaume, Jaumet
CORNISH: Jago
CROATIAN: Jakov, Jakša, Žaklina
CZECH: Jakub
DANISH: Bine, Ib, Jacob, Jacobine, Jakob, Jeppe
DUTCH: Coba, Cobus, Coos, Jaap, Jacob, Jacoba, Jacobina, Jacobine, Jacobus, Jacomina, Jakob, Kobe, Kobus, Koos, Mina, Sjaak, Sjakie
ENGLISH (BRITISH): Jacquetta, Jacqui
ENGLISH: Coby, Jaci, Jackalyn, Jacki, Jackie, Jacklyn, Jaclyn, Jacob, Jacqueline, Jacquelyn, Jae, Jaime, Jaimie, Jake, Jaki, Jakki, James, Jamey, Jami, Jamie, Jamison, Jaqueline, Jaquelyn, Jay, Jaycob, Jaye, Jayla, Jaylen, Jaylene, Jaylin, Jaylyn, Jayma, Jayme, Jaymes, Jeb, Jem, Jemmy, Jim, Jimi, Jimmie, Jimmy, Koby
ESTONIAN: Jaagup, Jaak, Jaakob
FAROESE: Jákup
FINNISH: Jaakko, Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jaska
FLEMISH: Jaak
FRENCH: Jacky, Jacqueline, Jacques, Jacquette
FRISIAN: Japik
GALICIAN: Iago
GEORGIAN: Iakob, Koba
GERMAN: Jakob, Jockel
HAWAIIAN: Iakopa, Kimo
HEBREW: Akiba, Akiva, Yaakov, Yakov
HUNGARIAN: Jakab, Jákob
ICELANDIC: Jakob
IRISH: Séamas, Séamus, Shamus, Sheamus
ITALIAN: Giacobbe, Giacoma, Giacomina, Giacomo, Iacopo, Jacopo, Lapo
JEWISH: Jacob
LATE ROMAN: Iacomus, Jacobus
LIMBURGISH: Mina
LITHUANIAN: Jokūbas
MACEDONIAN: Jakov, Zhaklina
MAORI: Hemi
MEDIEVAL SPANISH: Didacus
NORWEGIAN: Jacob, Jacobine, Jakob
OLD CHURCH SLAVIC: Iakovu
POLISH: Jakub, Kuba, Żaklina
PORTUGUESE (BRAZILIAN): Jaqueline, Thiago
PORTUGUESE: Diogo, Iago, Jacó, Jaime, Santiago, Tiago
RUSSIAN: Yakov, Yasha
SCOTTISH: Hamish, Jamesina, Jamie, Seumas
SERBIAN: Jakov, Žaklina
SLOVAK: Jakub
SLOVENE: Jaka, Jakob, Jaša
SPANISH: Diego, Jacobo, Jaime, Santiago, Yago
SWEDISH: Jacob, Jakob
TURKISH: Yakup
UKRAINIAN: Yakiv
WELSH: Iago
YIDDISH: Kapel, Koppel, Yankel