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Séamus

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For other uses, see Seamus (disambiguation).

Séamus
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈʃeɪməs/ SHAY-məs
Irish: [ˈʃeːmˠəsˠ]
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameGoidelic languages
Meaning"He may/will/shall follow/heed/seize by the heel/watch/guard/protect", "Supplanter/Assailant", "May God protect" [1]
Region of originIreland, Scotland
Other names
Related namesHamish, James, Jamie, Seumas.

Séamus (Irish pronunciation: [ˈʃeːmˠəsˠ]) is an Goidelic male given name, of Hebrew origin via Latin. 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. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵב ʿaqeb. It can also be taken to mean "may [God] protect".[2][3] The traditional explanation for the name follows that it was given to the patriarch Jacob when he was born, as he was grasping his twin brother Esau's heel, though this is a folk etymology.[4]

Other variant spellings in Irish include Séamas, Seumas and Seumus. It has also been anglicised as Shaymus, Seamus, Seamas, 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.[5] 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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Jacob". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  2. ^ Jonathan Z. Smith, Map is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions, University of Chicago Press (1978), p. 33
  3. ^ "Meaning, origin, and history of the name Jacob". Behind the Name.
  4. ^ "Meaning, origin, and history of the name Jacob". Behind the Name.
  5. ^ Patterns of provocation: Police and public disorder. Bessel, Richard; Emsley, Clive; European Centre for the Study of Policing. New York: Berghahn Books. 2000. ISBN 1571812288. OCLC 43114240.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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