What exactly is the best translation for the name "James"? Jacobo or Santiago?

Question

What exactly is the best translation for the name "James"? Jacobo or Santiago?
Why is Santiago so out of the norm from Jacobo?
Thank you Hermann Kepfer

Hermann, please do not post your email address in your question. Thanks! - --Mariana--, Nov 13, 2009

This has been answered adequately. - ray76, Dec 26, 2015

Answer 1

If, on the other hand, you're trying to discuss the Bible, you would use "Santiago" or "Diego", because that is how James is translated in the Bible.

Actually you can make the argument that there is no such person as James in the Bible. All Biblical occurrences of the name James are translations of the word "Jacob".

While it is true that James is an Anglicanized form of the name Jacob, translating the Bible in such a way as to give the James characters in the New Testament different names than the Jacob characters throughout the Bible is simply misleading and wrong.

I've heard it said that King James himself had this "feature" added to the Church of England translation that bears his name, but I'm not sure if it is true.

What is true is that there is a book of the Bible named "Jacob" in the original Greek, written by the Lord's brother, Jacob. Not James.

Answer 2

Jaime. Jacobo has to be the equivalent of Jacob

I thought Jaime was Jamie. :) - Valerie, Nov 13, 2009

Answer 3

You also have Jaime y Diego.

True, I love the name "Jaime" I hope to name my son that someday! - LAtINaPunKROcKerAConFundidA, Nov 13, 2009

Answer 4

Hmmm, I seem to "remember" that Peter and, in fact, all the apostles had a "real" name and that Jesus "named" them all.

Would be possible that these "translations" are no more than the real names of the person in question?

Answer 5

La mejor traducción para James es Jacobo. Jacobo (Jacobus), deriva de Iacomus, que es la forma original latina de James. Es por ese motivo que los seguidores escoceses de James II, se llamaron Jacobites. Los historiadores de habla hispana también traducen a James II como Jacobo II, del que eran seguidores los Jacobitas.

Answer 6

1. James = Jaime
2. Diego = Doug
3. San = Saint

The bible can be translated in many ways. In lacking a translation for Santiago, they chose James. There are also two known saints - St. James the laborer and then St.James the Greater.

In these modern times Jaime is the correct, customary and usual translation for James - not Diego.

Oh please. When I was a child in Miami, and all my friends were Latino - they called me Diego and I have been ever since. I am James in English. - diegoabrams, May 29, 2015

Answer 7

Desde mi punto de vista , los nombres propios no han de tener traducción . Yo me llamo Yeikel aquí y en Japón

En la biblia hacen una traducción para intentar introducir el nombre de una manera más sencilla en nuestro vocabulario y asi evitar tener que pronunciar otros vocablos , pero pasa a ser otro nombre diferente. Por ese motivo una persona que se llame Juan no tiene por qué llamarse John en USA , su nombre es Juan y no tiene traducción , al igual que Internet no tiene traducción puesto que es un nombre propio

Answer 8

It depends what you need the name for. If you just want to translate your own name so it's easier for Spanish speakers, you would translate it to "Jaime", althought "Diego" would also be appropriate.

If, on the other hand, you're trying to discuss the Bible, you would use "Santiago" or "Diego", because that is how James is translated in the Bible.

Answer 9

In the Bible, the book of James is translated as Santiago.

Yes, Romsaca, pointed out that St. James is "Santiago" which makes sense that they bible book of James would be "Santiago." - LAtINaPunKROcKerAConFundidA, Nov 13, 2009

Answer 10

Santiago = Saint James

Answer 11

Out of the norm? I hear the name Santiago all the time, but from my travels have come to the conclusion that "Jacobo" is simply more popular.