Quote Originally Posted by haukehaien View Post
"James" is English variation of Iacomus, which is a Late Latin dialect variant of Iacobus, probably created first by nasalizing the "o" and getting "Iacombus", and then gradual dropping of the b in the "mb" combination. In the Greek New Testament, the name is still given as "Iakobos", the standard Greek form of Ya'acov. Later translations use "James", after the name had become common.
I read that on wikipedia too... sounds reasonable enough I suppose, but theological scholars are usually known for their attention to detail...