Updated November 2023
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English variation of Jacob, Hebrew
"supplanter"
James is one of the classic Anglo-Saxon names, a stalwart through the ages that is more popular—and yes, stylish—than ever today. It recently came out Number 1 in a poll of America's favorite boys'…
Hebrew
Biblical Jacob ceded his Number 1 spot to biblical Noah, in 2013, after holding first place on the list of baby boy names from 1999 to 2012, given a huge boost by the Twilight phenomenon. Jacob has…
Spelling variation of Tiago, diminutive of Santiago
Some high-profile soccer stars, such as Thiago Silva, have contributed to its success. The correct Portuguese pronunciation is chee-AH-go. Thiago is ranked Number 2 for boys in Puerto Rico.
Spanish variation of James
The energetic Diego is rising rapidly along with a lot of other authentically Spanish baby names that work perfectly well with surnames of any origin. Possibly a derivative of Santiago, Diego is a…
Hebrew, diminutive of Jacob
This unpretentious, accessible, and optimistic ("everything's jake" -- meaning OK) short form of the top name Jacob is itself widely used, though more parents these days are opting for the full name…
French, feminine diminutive of Jacques
Jacqueline originated as a feminine form of Jacques, the French variation of James, and therefore Jacob. Jacob was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, and gets its meaning, "supplanter"…
Diminutive of James
The cool form of James in the 1970s and '80s for both sexes. Still a more stylish short form than Jimmy, though many parents will want to call James by his entire, not-very-long name. In the UK, and…
Every other little kid's name in 1957 but few Jameses are called Jimmy today; they're more often James or Jamie.
Jamie is typical of the relaxed unisex names starting with J that seemed so cool in the sixties after decades of Jeans and Joans, though now pretty tepid. Jaime and even Jamey and Jayme are alternate…
Variation of Seamus, Irish
Unusual and unappealing.
French variation of James and Jacob
Regal and ancient feeling, Jacques has been declining in popularity in its native France, but in the UK, it saw a surprising revival in 2022. Jumping from somewhere around the #2500 mark straight to…
Variation of Jacob, Hebrew
Jacoby, a surname spin on Jacob shot up the charts in the middle of the 2000's, thanks largely to the popularity of Jacoby Ellsbury, the first Native American of Navajo descent in the Major Leagues,…
James for a girl? Believe it or not, this is one of the boy names for girls" gaining a lot of attention these days, since Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds shocked the world by choosing it for their…
English, diminutive of James
Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.
Scandinavian diminutive of Jakob
Nickname-name that's all the rage in Scandinavia.
Cornish variation of Jacob or James
A dashing alternative to the popular James and Jacob, Jago is the jaunty Cornish form of the Biblical names. Occasionally (or historically) appearing as Jagoe, Jego, and Jaego, it may have been…
Russian variation of Jacob
What a difference a couple of letters make: Old World version of most popular name never quite made it out of the shtetl.
Irish variation of James
Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve. One of the name's most famous bearers is the 1995 Nobel Prize-winning…
Scottish variation of James
Just as Seamus/Seumus is Irish for James, Hamish is the Scottish form — one that's not often used here, but still redolent of Olde Scotland. If you're ready to go further than Duncan and Malcolm, out…
Italian variation of James
Giacomo is a primo member of the Giovanni-Gino-Giancarlo-Giacomo gruppo of Italian names that are beginning to be adopted by American parents. Singer/creative baby namer Sting chose it for his son.…