James
Gender: M
Origin of James: Hebrew
Meaning of James: "supplanter"
James's Popularity in 2011: #17
James is one of the classic Anglo-Saxon names, a stalwart through the ages, which is more popular and --yes--stylish than ever today. It recently came out Number 1 in a poll of America's favorite boys' names.
James is biblical (the name of two apostles in the New Testament), royal (kings of both England and Scotland), presidential (with more U.S. Chief Executives named James (6) than any other name), and it is shared by countless great writers and entertainers. James is still in the Top 20 and a current favorite among fashionable parents looking for a name that has both style and substance.
There are fewer Jimmys, Jimbos or even Jamies these days: the most fashionable form of the name is James itself. Several stylish celebrities have chosen it in recent years for their sons, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Liz Phair, Colin Farrell and Isaac Hanson, while Brendan Fehr thought out of the box and named his daughter James.
James has some interesting foreign variations: Diego and Jaime (Spanish), Jacques (French), Giacomo (Italian), Hamish (Scottish), Jaako (Finnish), Seamus (Irish), Jaap (Dutch) and Jago (Cornish).
Jaimes, Jaimey, Jaimie, Jamesie, Jameson, Jamesy, Jamey, Jamez, Jameze, Jamies, Jamison, Jamse, Jamyes, Jamze, Jas, Jasha, Jay, Jayines, Jaymes, Jaymie, Jaymz, Jem, Jemes, Jim, Jiminy, Jimmy, Jocko
James's International Variations
Hagop (Armenian) Jago (Cornish) Jaap (Dutch) Jacque, Jacques (French) Shamus, Shay, Séamas, Seumus, Shamas (Irish) Giacomo (Italian) Hamish, Seumas, Jock, Jamie (Scottish) Diego, Yago, Santiago, Jaime, Iago (Spanish)
People who liked James also like:
Amelia, Edith, Eliza, Louisa, Lucy, Lydia, Susannah, August, Caleb, Edward, Julian, Luca, Lucas, Miles, Levi
James
Gender: F
Origin of James: Hebrew
Meaning of James: "supplanter"
James for a girl? Well, why not? This is one of the traditional male names most adoptable for girls -- it's already been used as a pet name for some Jamies, and is the name of groovy young actress/model James King.
The only real argument against using James for your daughter is that it's been so widely used for so long for boys, and is more fashionable today than it's been for a couple of decades. Do you want people to do a double-take every time they hear your little girl's name? If so, James might be the choice for you, but if not, keep looking.
