Where it comes from
ya'aqov (יַעֲקֹב), possibly 'supplanter' or 'held by the heel'
Also known as
Jacques (French), Diego and Santiago (Spanish, via a separate Latin route), Giacomo (Italian), Seumas (Scottish Gaelic)
Fun Fact
James is the English form of Jacob that developed through Late Latin and Old French, and two of Jesus's apostles in the New Testament bear this name. Unusually, the Spanish names Diego and Santiago both also descend from the same root, arriving through a different Latin path than James did.