James · English boy’s name

James in Hawaiian is Kimo

The form Hawaiian speakers have written since the 1800s, when J became I, S became K, and a vowel was added at the end.

Say it

KEE·moh

The gold syllable takes the stress.

What is James in Hawaiian?

James is Kimo in Hawaiian, said KEE-moh. The same form covers Jim, because Hawaiian writes both spellings the same way.

How James became Kimo

Hawaiian is written with thirteen letters, so in James J became I, S became K, and a vowel was added at the end. A Hawaiian word cannot finish on a consonant, which is where the last vowel comes from.

Kimo has a page of its own as a Hawaiian given name, with its popularity and the names it is usually paired with.

How to say Kimo

Say it KEE-moh, leaning on KEE, sounding every vowel: i as “ee”, o as in “go”. The pronunciation guide covers the whole system.

Where James comes from

James comes from the Latin Iacomus, a late form of Iacobus, which is the Hebrew Yaʻaqov, Jacob. English and French wore the name down to James, while Spanish kept Jaime and Italian Giacomo. Two of the twelve apostles were named James.

In Hawaiian it became Kimo, one of the best-known Hawaiian forms of an English name, and the same form serves for Jim.

Sources the Pukui and Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary, Place Names of Hawaii, Nānā i ke Kumu, wehewehe.org, Wiktionary's Hawaiian given names and U.S. Social Security baby-name records. How this site is compiled · Send a correction

Questions people ask

What is James in Hawaiian?

James is Kimo in Hawaiian, pronounced KEE-moh. It is the form used in Hawaiian-language records since the 1800s, and it covers Jim as well.

How do you pronounce Kimo?

KEE-moh, with the stress on KEE.

Why does Kimo look so different from James?

Each sound Hawaiian lacks was swapped for the nearest one it has. In James, J became I, S became K, and a vowel was added at the end.

Is Kimo a real Hawaiian name?

Yes, as a borrowed name. Hawaiian families have used Kimo since the 1800s, but it is James respelled, not a name built from Hawaiian words.

All 164 English names in Hawaiian · Hawaiian boy's names