Given name & surname
Jimbo
“he who supplants”
Jimbo is a variant of Jim. In English use, Jim carries the interpretation “he who supplants.” In English use, Jimbo 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.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jimbo is a variant of Jim. In English use, Jim carries the interpretation “he who supplants.” In English use, Jimbo 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.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Jimbo 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.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Jimbo is a diminutive of James. In English use, Jimbo 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 1961. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Jimbo 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jimbo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 23
- 23 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 10 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 boys is 6 in 1964. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 1961. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 301 as a first name in 2020; 259 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.
Jimbo’s family of names
In English usage, Jimbo is a diminutive of James. Jimbo has a related form in Jim. In English usage, Jimbo has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Kubuś.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jimbo has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jimbo
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Jimbo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jeames
“he who supplants”
>99% boys
Dow
“a dark-haired man”
>99% boys
Jakom
“he who supplants”
—
Jaim
“he who supplants”
86% boys · 14% girls
Jakome
“he who supplants”
>99% boys
Jaemes
“he who supplants”
>99% boys
Jozia
“God heals” · “God will help”
—
Jaem
“he who supplants”
91% boys · 9% girls