The surname James
A patronymic surname, the 85th most common in the United States.
Pronounced /d͡ʒeɪmz/ 1 syllable Soundex J520 Also a first name
Origin
The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from the third-person singular masculine imperfective form of the Semitic verb "to heel" (with various meanings), in turn from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel of the foot”). Doublet of Jacques, Jacob, Iago, Jago, Yago, Hamish, Seamus, Tiago, Santiago, and Yaakov. In reference to the Ecuadorian island, a modification of the earlier name Duke of York's Island after its eponymous duke's coronation as James II of England. See Occitan Jacme for an intermediary between Old French James and Catalan Jaume.
James is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 249,379 people named James in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,238 Americans. That is up 6.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 233,224.
Who is named James
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
52% of people named James identified as white (not Hispanic), 39% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 52%
- Black (not Hispanic) 39%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.1%
- Two or more races 2.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 2.6%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 1.3%
Famous Jamess
116 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- William JamesAmerican philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist (1842–1910)
- LeBron JamesAmerican basketball player (born 1984)
- Henry JamesAmerican and British writer (1843–1916)
- Jesse JamesAmerican outlaw, confederate guerrilla, and train robber, 1847–1882
- Lily JamesBritish actress (born 1989)
- Kevin JamesAmerican comedian and actor, born 1965
- Theo JamesBritish actor and musician, born 1984
- Mickie JamesAmerican country singer and professional wrestler, born 1979
- Bradley JamesBritish actor, born 1983
- M. R. James20th century British author, medievalist scholar and provost (1862–1936)
- Geraldine JamesBritish actress, born 1950
- Lennie JamesBritish actor, born 1965
Notable Jamess come mostly from the United States (96), the United Kingdom (11) and Australia (5).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
James has the Soundex code J520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J520.
Questions
- Where does the surname James come from?
- The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from…
- How common is the surname James?
- 249,379 people in the United States had the surname James in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,238 Americans. It ranked 85th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname James?
- In the 2010 Census, 52% of people named James identified as white (not Hispanic), and 39% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named James?
- William James, American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist (1842–1910), followed by LeBron James.
- Where is the surname James most common?
- Wikidata records people named James in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.
- How do you pronounce James?
- James is /d͡ʒeɪmz/, one syllable.
- What type of surname is James?
- James is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname James getting more or less common?
- More common. 233,224 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 249,379 in 2010, up 6.9%.
- Is James also a first name?
- Yes. James is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.