Boy · Hebrew, through Latin and Norman French
Séamus
Say it: SHAY-mus
Meaning
Irish form of James, from Latin Iacomus, a form of Jacob; the Hebrew name's meaning is uncertain (popularly 'supplanter').
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 7,093 babies given this name since 1957
- At its height in 2008, about 1 in 6,800 boys
- 159 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Séamas
| English | James |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic | Seumas |
Famous bearers
- Seamus Heaney, Irish poet
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Parish baptism registers
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.