Hamish as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Hamish

What is the meaning of the name Hamish ?

The baby name Hamish is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈheɪmɪʃ/ (HAY-mish); sometimes /ˈhæmɪʃ/ (HAM-ish).

Hamish is Scottish in Origin.

Hamish is the Scottish form of James, derived from the Scottish Gaelic Seumas, itself from Late Latin Iacomus and ultimately Hebrew Ya‘aqov (Jacob). The sense carried through the cognates is “supplanter” or “one who follows at the heel.” The modern spelling emerged when English speakers heard the Gaelic vocative a Sheumais (addressing Seumas) and treated it as a standalone name; the usual pronunciation is HAY-mish.

Use is strongest in Scotland and in the Scottish diaspora, especially in Australia and New Zealand, where it gained steady currency from the late 19th century and remains a familiar, traditional-leaning choice. Related forms and cognates include Seumas/Seòmas (Scottish Gaelic), Séamus/Shamus (Irish), and James/Jamie (English). Its resemblance to Yiddish/English heimish (“homey”) is coincidental and etymologically unrelated.