English form of the name borne in the New Testament by two of
Christ's disciples, James son of Zebedee and James son of
Alphaeus. This form comes from Late Latin Iacomus, a variant of
Iacobus, Latin form of Greek Iakobos. This is the same name as
Old Testament Jacob (Hebrew Yaakov), but for many centuries now
they have been thought of in the English-speaking world as two
distinct names. In Britain, James is a royal name that from the
beginning of the 15th century onwards was associated
particularly with the Scottish house of Stewart: James I of
Scotland (1394–1437; ruled 1424–37) was a patron of the arts and
a noted poet, as well as an energetic ruler. King James VI of
Scotland (1566–1625; reigned 1567–1625) succeeded to the throne
of England in 1603. His grandson, James II of England
(1633–1701; reigned 1685–8) was a Roman Catholic, deposed in
1688 in favour of his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband
William of Orange. From then on he, his son (also called James),
and his grandson Charles (‘Bonnie Princ