When is James’s name day?

James can be celebrated on 4 feasts in the Orthodox calendar. People keep the feast of the saint they were named for, or the one their family has always kept.

Every feast on which James is celebrated

The saints behind the name

• 

  James the Apostle, Son of Zebedee

  April 30, Apostle, Ιάκωβος Ζεβεδαίου

  St. James, the son of Zebedee and elder brother of St. John the Theologian, was called by the Lord from his father's fishing boat to become one of the Twelve. With Peter and John he belonged to the innermost circle of the disciples, present at the Transfiguration and at the agony in Gethsemane.

  Name days: James, Iakovos, Jacob

• 

  James the Apostle of Alphaeus

  October 9, Apostle, Ιάκωβος Αλφαίου

  St. James the son of Alphaeus was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by the Lord, named in each of the Gospel lists of the Twelve. After Pentecost he went forth, as the apostles did, to preach the Gospel among the nations, and tradition relates that he ended his labors as a martyr for Christ.

  Name days: Iakovos, James, Jacob

• 

  James the Brother of the Lord

  October 23, Apostle, Ιάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος

  James was the son of Joseph the Betrothed and is called the Brother of the Lord. He was chosen by the apostles as the first Bishop of Jerusalem, presided at the Apostolic Council, and composed the Epistle that bears his name and the earliest form of the Divine Liturgy.

  Name days: Iakovos, Iakov, Jacob, James, Jakob, Jacovos

The other feasts are listed in the table above, each with a link to the saint’s life.

Also celebrating with James

These names share the feast, many of them other forms of the same name:

Iakovos, Jacob, Iakov, Jakob, Jacovos

What to say on a name day

The Greek wish is Χρόνια Πολλά (Chronia Polla), “many years.” A call or a short message on the day is what people remember. See name day wishes you can send and what a name day is.