Given name & surname
Giacomo
“he who supplants”
Giacomo is a form of James. James is traditionally associated with “he who supplants” through its connection with Jacob. The explanation belongs to the biblical Jacob story, rather than describing a separate meaning created by the English spelling James.
Original ItalianIacoe
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Italian use, Giacomo carries the interpretation “he who supplants.” Giacomo is a form of James. James is traditionally associated with “he who supplants” through its connection with Jacob. The explanation belongs to the biblical Jacob story, rather than describing a separate meaning created by the English spelling James.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Italian.
How it developed
In Italian use, Giacomo is used as a form of JAMEs. Giacomo is used as a form of James. Giacomo is a form of James. The shared background comes through James: The route to James passes through Late Latin Iacomus, a variant of the Latin form of Jacob. This different Latin development helps explain how James and Jacob could become distinct English names while retaining the same older origin.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Giacomo is a form of James. The history of James gives this family its wider story. James was borne by two New Testament disciples: James son of Zebedee and James son of Alphaeus. James later became a recurring Scottish royal name: James VI of Scotland took the English throne in 1603. After James II lost that throne in 1688, his family’s supporters became known as Jacobites, drawing on the Latin form of James.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Giacomo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,896
- 1,896 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 56 babies
- 2025
- 49
- #2,654 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 49 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,654 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 56 in 2006. In 2025, California and Florida shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,209 as a first name in 2020; 432 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Giacomo’s family of names
Giacomo has a diminutive in Jacquetta. Giacomo shares a linguistic root with James. In Italian usage, Giacomo has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Jacob.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Giacomo has relatives in 47 languages. Lines run from its Italian roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 75
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Iagodoublet · Italian, Portuguese
- Iacominopatronymic from · Italian
- Giacomellipatronymic from · Italian
- Giacominipatronymic from · Italian
- Jamescognate · English, Scots
- JackEnglish
- SantiagoSpanish, war
- JacobPortuguese, Spanish
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- DiegoSpanish
- JakeEnglish
- JaimeSpanish
- TiagoPortuguese
- Yakovequivalent
- JakobGerman, Swedish
- JacquesFrench
- JacoboSpanish
- JimEnglish
- JakubCzech, Slovak
- JaymeSpanish
- DiagoSpanish
- HamishScots
- YagoSpanish
- DiogoPortuguese
- JacqueFrench
- Yakubequivalent
- JaapDutch
- JacobusDutch
- Yacobequivalent
- Jacopoequivalent
- Jacoequivalent
- JakabHungarian
- SeumasScottish Gaelic
- Jaakkoequivalent
- Yakupequivalent
- ΓιακουμήςGreek
- JacóPortuguese
- Minikelderivative · Albanian
- JakobusGerman, zea
- Yakivequivalent
- يعقوبequivalent
- Iacobusequivalent
- Jockelequivalent
- Séamusequivalent
- Jaccoequivalent
- Iacopoequivalent
- ЯківUkrainian
- JäckGerman
- JaeckiGerman
- JeckelGerman
- YakoboSwahili
- ЯшаRussian
- ЯковRussian, Bulgarian
- IacobRomanian
- JokobDutch
- 雅各書cdo
- JokūbasLithuanian
- JēkabsLatvian
- JēkabaLatvian
- JacōmusLatin
- IacōmusLatin
And 15 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Giacomo
- Giacomo PucciniItalian opera composer (1858–1924)
- Giacomo LeopardiItalian noble, poet, philosopher, and writer (1798-1837)
- Giacomo CasanovaVenetian adventurer and writer (1725–1798)
- Giacomo MeyerbeerGerman-French composer1791–1864
- Giacomo MatteottiItalian politician (1885-1924)
- Giacomo BonaventuraItalian association football playerborn 1989
- Giacomo Barozzi da VignolaItalian architect (1507–1573)
- Giacomo BallaItalian artist (1871-1958)
- Giacomo RaspadoriItalian association football playerborn 2000
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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—
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