Jamie is a name of Scottish origin and it means "supplanter" or "to take the place of". The name has been popular among both boys and girls for several decades now.
The name Jamie is derived from the Scottish form of James, which was born out of the Latin name Jacobus. In turn, Jacobus is a derivative of the Hebrew name Yaacov, which means "supplanter" in reference to the Biblical story where Jacob wrestled with an angel and received a new name for his actions.
Historically, Jamie has been used as a diminutive form of James since the Middle Ages. It was first used as an independent given name in Scotland during this period, but it did not become widespread until the 20th century.
Today, Jamie is considered to be a unisex name and is often associated with Scottish heritage or culture. Despite its Scottish roots, Jamie has gained popularity worldwide and can be found in many different cultures today. Some famous people named Jamie include actress Jamie Lee Curtis, tennis player Jamie Murray, and musician Jamie xx.
The name Jamie experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the past century and a half, with a notable spike in usage from around 1950 onwards. The peak of its popularity appears to have been reached in the late 1960s to early 1970s, with over 3200 births recorded in both 1971 and 1972. However, since then there has been a steady decline, culminating in fewer than 500 births per year in recent years. Despite this decrease, Jamie remains a popular unisex name, with 473 births registered in 2023 alone.