James has ancient roots in Hebrew. It's a variation on the name Hebrew name Yaakov (Jacob) – which became Iacomus in Latin and eventually James in English. the name James means the same exact thing as Jacob—“supplanter” or substitute—and comes from the original Hebrew word for Jacob. It is a modern descendant, through Old French James, of Vulgar Latin Iacomus (cf. Italian Giacomo, Portuguese Tiago, Spanish Iago, Santiago), a derivative version of Latin Iacobus, Latin form of the Hebrew name Jacob (original Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב). The final -s in the English first names is typical of those borrowed from Old French, where it was the former masculine subject case (cf. Giles, Miles, Charles, etc.). James is a very popular name in English-speaking populations.
