James

James is a classic, traditional and Biblical name (Saint James, of course, was one of Jesus' 12 apostles) meaning "supplanter" or "replacer." It's derived from the Latin Jacomus which also means "may God protect."

Shakespeare was a big fan of James. In his play "King John," the character James Jurney is a servant to Lady Faulconbridge; in "King Richard III" there's Sir James Tyrrel. "King Richard III" stars Sir James Blount.

But the Bard isn't alone in his appreciation of the traditionally masculine name; it made its way to the New World along with the Founding Fathers and was the name of five Presidents of the United States: James Madison, James Monroe, James K. Polk (forgot about him, eh?), James Buchanan, and James A. Garfield. Other famous Jameses in art and history include James Joyce, J.M. Barrie, Jim Morrison, James Brown, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Stewart, and even L.L. Cool J. Yep.

Nowadays, James has gone decidedly gender-neutral, with actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds pioneering it for their daughter.

Quotes about James:

"I hate American simplicity. I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort. If I could pronounce the name ‘James’ in any different or more elaborate way I should be in favor of doing it." — Henry James

"Before I knew it, I was singing, 'I'm so tired of being alone,' and that's Al right there. From then, my attitude was, 'Let Otis be Otis and James be James. I'm not going to emulate them anymore.'" — Al Green

"The name's Bond. James Bond." — James Bond. Obviously.