Tags: Given Name, Name.
James came into English language from the Old French variation James of the late Latin name Iacomus. This was a dialect variant of Iacobus from the New Testament Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos) from Hebrew יעקב (Yaʻaqov) (Jacob). The development Iacobus > Iacomus is likely a result of nasalization of the o and assimilation to the following b (i.e. intermediate *Iacombus) followed by simplification of the cluster mb through loss of the b.