Which St. James? Every Saint Named James

Curated and reviewed by Pastor Lyvers

Which St. James? 9 saints and blesseds named James have full entries in this encyclopedia, counting the name in other languages (Jacques). They are listed below with their dates, feast days and a line on who each one was, beginning with the first century and then century by century.

A name carries a story, and many holy men and women have carried this one. Whether you are choosing a baptismal or confirmation name, looking for the saint behind a parish or a feast, or simply trying to tell one St. James from another, we hope this page helps you find the right one, and that you will ask that saint's prayers along the way. Among the best loved are St. James the Greater, St. James the Less and Blessed James Alberione.

The apostles and the first century

  • St. James the Greater died c. 44 · Feast day July 25

    St. James the Greater was one of the twelve apostles, the brother of St. John and one of the three disciples closest to Jesus.

  • St. James the Less died c. 62 · Feast day May 3

    St. James the Less was one of the Twelve Apostles, called "James the son of Alphaeus" in every Gospel list.

7th century

  • St. James the Deacon died 671 · Feast day August 17

    St. James the Deacon was an Italian deacon of the Gregorian mission who came to Northumbria with St. Paulinus of York.

14th century

  • Blessed James of Viterbo c. 1255–1307 · Feast day June 4

    Blessed James of Viterbo (about 1255 to 1308) was an Augustinian friar from Viterbo who became one of the leading theologians at the University of Paris, wrote De regimine christiano, one of the first treatises on the…

15th century

  • St. James of the Marches c. 1393–1476 · Feast day November 28

    St. James of the Marches (Giacomo della Marca, about 1393-1476) was a Franciscan friar and one of the great preachers of fifteenth-century Italy.

16th century

  • St. James Kisai 1533–1597 · Feast day February 6

    St. James Kisai (1533–1597), also called Diego Kisai, was a Japanese catechist at the Jesuit house in Osaka who became a Jesuit brother.

17th century

  • Blessed James Duckett died 1602 · Feast day April 19

    Blessed James Duckett was a London bookseller who became a Catholic by reading a borrowed book and spent nine of his twelve years of marriage in prison for selling Catholic books.

19th century

  • St. Jacques Berthieu 1838–1896 · Feast day June 8

    St. Jacques Berthieu (1838–1896) was a French Jesuit priest who spent twenty years as a missionary in Madagascar and was shot by Menalamba rebels on June 8, 1896, after refusing to give up his faith to save his life.

20th century

  • Blessed James Alberione 1884–1971 · Feast day November 26

    Blessed James Alberione (1884–1971) was an Italian priest of Alba who founded the Pauline Family: ten institutes, including the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul, that preach the Gospel through the…

The Saint Index also holds basic records for 46 more saints and blesseds named James. Search every saint named James →

Other names saints share: Mary, Peter, Joseph and more →