The surname James derived directly from the first name. This in its turn is a form of the original Hebrew name Jacob, and first became popular through the two Apostles. The Hebrew Jacob comes from the word ‘aqob’ which means ‘supplanter’ or ‘usurper’ (all too appropriate in the case of Jacob, the son of Isaac-one of the earliest Jacobs-who deprived his brother Esau of his birthright).

The original Jacob became Latinised to Jacobus, and from this we get the French first name Jacques, as well as the identical Welsh and Spanish form Iago. The Latinised form later became Jacomus, and it is from this root that we get our name James. It is also the source of the Spanish form Jayme (Jaime), the Italian Giacomo, and the Irish version Seamus (pronounced Shaymus).

The name, in all its varied forms, began to gain popularity all over Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It has been suggested that the name came to prominence around this time as a result of its having been brought back by the Crusaders, and this may have been a contributory factor.

The surname James has several variations, the most widespread being Jameson, Jamison, and Jamieson (which almost certainly derives from the Scottish abbreviation ‘Jamie’).

References to the name James start occurring in the English records around the turn of the twelfth century. One of the earliest of these is a certain Jam de Sancto Hylario who appears in the Early Charters for Northamptonshire for 1173-6.

The surname James is popular all over England (despite the closely related Jamisons being found almost exclusively in the Scottish lowland region). The greatest concentrations of James are now found in the West Country.

The ‘King James Version’ is another name given to the Authorised Version of the Bible which was ordered by King James I. The resonant style of this classic translation remains one of the finest examples of our language.

Jakes was a popular Elizabethan slang word for a lavatory-which accounts for the word’s frequent sly appearances in Shakespeare’s comedies. The word survives in our language today as ‘the Jacks’, a slang expression with the same meaning.

‘BBC English’ was created by the British phonetician, Arthur Lloyd James (1884—1943), who was the arbiter on all matters of pronunciation during the Corporation’s formative years.

Jesse James (1847—82) and his brother Frank were legendary Wild West desperadoes and bank robbers. Together they gunned down at least ten men.

Jameson’s Raid (29 December 1895) was Doctor Leander Starr Jameson’s ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Transvaal Republic by fomenting an uprising in Johannesburg. Mounted with Cecil Rhodes’ backing, Jameson and his fellow soldiers of fortune were surrounded and surrendered abjectly before they ever reached the city.

The United Kingdom has a Jameston and 3 Jamestowns. Canada and South Africa also have Jamestowns while 10 states of America have towns and cities bearing this name. In all, 18 US locations are name related. The name is geographically common around the world, including South Africa’s Jameson Park.

With about 127,000 namesakes James is the 40th most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) James is notably popular in and around Cardiff where an estimated one in about 115 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Bristol, Birmingham and Coventry are other James strongholds. Around the world James’s are most common in Sydney (one in 709 families), Melbourne (one in 769) and Wellington (one in 893). The United States has more James’s than the entire population of Southampton-an estimated total of just over 227,000 makes this their 89th most popular surname.