Given name
Jemmy
“he who supplants”·“one who is exalted by the Lord”·“dove”
In English use, Jemmy is a diminutive 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. Jemmy is a variant of Jeremy. In Hebrew use, Jeremy carries the interpretation “one who is exalted by the Lord.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Jemmy is a diminutive 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. Jemmy is a variant of Jeremy. In Hebrew use, Jeremy carries the interpretation “one who is exalted by the Lord.” Jemmy is a variant of Jem. In English use, Jem carries the interpretation “he who supplants.” Jemmy is a variant of Jemima. Interpretations include “dove” (Hebrew) and “horn of eyepaint” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Jemmy is a diminutive of James. James is the English and Scottish form of a name sharing the Hebrew ancestor Yaakov with Jacob. English developed a lasting distinction between the two; that separation is not universal across languages. Jemmy is a variant of Jemima. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Jemmy is a diminutive of James. In English use, Jemmy is a diminutive 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 1999. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Jemmy is a diminutive 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. Jemmy is a variant of Jemima. The history of Jemima gives this family its wider story. In biblical tradition, Jemima is the name of the eldest of the daughters of Job.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jemmy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10
- 0 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 1999
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2000. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 370 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jemmy’s family of names
In English usage, Jemmy is a diminutive of James. Jemmy has a related form in Jeremy. Jemmy has a related form in Jemima.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Jemmy
- Jemmy ButtonYaghan native, celebrity in England (c. 1815–1864)
- Jemmy DeanEnglish cricketer (1816-1881)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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