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 GreekἸάκωβος (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.
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.[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 to
James VI
Sheamus (born 1978), ring name of Irish professional wrestler Stephen Farrelly
^Patterns of provocation: Police and public disorder.
Bessel, Richard; Emsley, Clive; European Centre for the Study of Policing. New York: Berghahn Books. 2000.
ISBN1571812288.
OCLC43114240.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (
link)
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
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 GreekἸάκωβος (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.
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.[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 to
James VI
Sheamus (born 1978), ring name of Irish professional wrestler Stephen Farrelly
^Patterns of provocation: Police and public disorder.
Bessel, Richard; Emsley, Clive; European Centre for the Study of Policing. New York: Berghahn Books. 2000.
ISBN1571812288.
OCLC43114240.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (
link)
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.