Dog name guide

James

The meaning, background and naming story of James.

Letters
5
Syllables
1Dictionary reading
Starts with
J

Meaning and background

The story behind James

James belongs to the same historical name family as Jacob, though the English forms developed differently. Behind the Name traces James through Late Latin Iacomus and Biblical Latin Iacobus to Hebrew Yaʿaqov. The entry also identifies several New Testament bearers, including two apostles. This gives a family or biblical tribute a concrete background. The spelling’s Latin transmission is secure evidence without requiring an oversimplified single-word interpretation of the Hebrew source.

Origin
English form transmitted through Latin Iacomus and Iacobus from Hebrew Yaʿaqov. Source

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About James

Recorded as a dog’s name

James appears in 18 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.

How to read this count

These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/dʒeɪmz/

US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.

Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.

View dictionary notation

/dʒeɪmz/ · primary stress on syllable 1
JH EY1 M Z

These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.

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Sources and research notes (2)

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

More names to consider

Suggestions by sound, written form or existing editorial selections. Similarity does not imply a shared origin.

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