Séamus
Pronunciation | English: /ˈʃeɪməs/ SHAY-məs Irish: [ˈʃeːmˠəsˠ] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Goidelic languages |
Meaning | "he supplanted" or "substitute" |
Region of origin | Ireland, Scotland |
Other names | |
Related names | Hamish, James, Jamie, Seumas. |
Séamus (Irish pronunciation: [ˈʃeːmˠəsˠ]) is an Irish male given name, of Latin origin. It is the Irish equivalent of the name James. The name James is the English New Testament variant for the Hebrew name Jacob. It entered the Irish and Scottish Gaelic languages from the French variation of the late Latin name for Jacob, Iacomus; a dialect variant of Iacobus, from the New Testament Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōvos), and ultimately from Hebrew word יעקב (Yaʻaqov), i.e. Jacob. Its meaning in Hebrew is "one who supplants" or more literally "one who grabs at the heel". When the Hebrew patriarch Jacob was born, he was grasping his twin brother Esau's heel.
Variant spellings include Seamus, Seamas, Séamas, Seumas, Seumus, Shaymus, Sheamus and Shamus. Diminutives include Séimí, Séimín and Séamaisín.
In the United States, the word "Shamus" was a derogatory slang[citation needed] misspelling of Séamus that arose during the 19th century as more than 4.5 million Irish immigrated to America, peaking at almost two million between 1845 and 1852 during the Great Famine (Irish: An Gorta Mór). Irish immigrants found employment in the police departments, fire departments and other public services of major cities, largely in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes, and have been overrepresented in the New York police since then.[1] Though still used by some as a derogatory term, the great preponderance of Irish and Irish-American law enforcement officers led to a persisting stereotype, and the name "Shamus" continues to refer to Irish-American police and private detectives.[citation needed]
Given name
- Seamus, Stuart / Stewart Kings of Scotland from James I through James VI
- Seamus Blackley (born 1967 or 1968), American physicist, talent agent, and co-creator of the original Xbox console
- Seamus Bonner (1948–2012), Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Gibson, retired Irish sportsperson
- Séamus Flanagan (born 1997), Irish hurler
- Séamus Callanan (born 1988), Irish hurler
- Séamus Brennan (1948–2008), Irish politician and Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism
- Séamus Burke (1893–1967), Irish politician
- Séamus Coleman (born 1988), Irish footballer
- Séamus Cunningham (born 1942), Irish Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
- Séamus de Brún (1911–2003), Irish senator and Irish-language promoter
- Seamus Dever (born 1976), American actor
- Séamus Egan (born 1969), Irish musician
- Seamus Heaney (1939–2013), Nobel Prize–winning Irish poet, writer and lecturer
- Seamus Hoare, Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Mallon (1936–2020), Irish politician: Senator, MP, MLA, and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
- Seamus McCaffery (born 1950), American judge, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice
- Seamus McGarvey (born 1967), Northern Irish cinematographer
- Seamus O'Donovan (1896–1979), Irish explosives expert and leading volunteer in the Irish Republican Army
- Seamus O'Regan (born 1971), Canadian broadcast journalist
- Séamus Ryan (1895–1933), member of Seanad Éireann
- Sheamus (born 1978), ring name of Irish professional wrestler Stephen Farrelly
- Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (born 1998), American actor
- Séamus O'Malley (1903-2002), Irish Gaelic footballer and Gaelic games administrator
- Seamus O'Connor (born 1997), American-born snowboarder
- Seamus Kelly (footballer) (born 1974), Irish former footballer
- Seamus Conneely (born 1988), English footballer
- Seamus Leydon, Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Donnelly (footballer) (born 1971), Irish retired footballer
- Séamus Moynihan, Irish former Gaelic footballer
- Séamus Darby (born 1950), Irish former Gaelic football player
- Seamus Dunne (1930-2016), Irish professional footballer
- Seamus O'Connell (1930-2013) was an English amateur footballer
- Seamus Bonner (1948-2012), Irish sportsperson
- Seamus Clancy, Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Hoare, Irish former Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Downey, Irish Gaelic footballer
- Seamus O'Neill (Gaelic footballer) (born 1982), Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Quinn, former Gaelic footballer
- Seamus Heath (born 1961), Northern Irish former association football midfielder and coach
- Séamus Scanlon (born 1981), Irish Gaelic footballer
- Séamus Kennedy (hurler) (born 1993), Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler
- Seamus McCallion, Irish former professional rugby league footballer
- Seamus Maloney, former Australian rules footballer