Iago - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Iago

As a male given name, Iago originates in the Galician and Spanish adaptation of the Hebrew name Ya’akov—source of the English name James—and is articulated in Spanish as /ˈjɑgo/ (yah-go) and in Portuguese as /ˈjagu/ (yah-goo). The name’s primary cultural resonance arises from the character Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello, whose strategic manipulation and rhetorical precision have established him as a paragon of dramatic villainy in Anglo-American literary study. Ecclesiastically, Iago aligns with Saint James the Greater, venerated in Iberian tradition as Santiago (Sant Iago), thereby reinforcing its historical depth and religious significance. In the United States, Iago’s footprint has remained modest yet consistent since the early 2000s, with annual registrations ranging from five to ten newborns and Social Security Administration rankings oscillating between the 800th and low 900th positions—a profile that reflects its appeal to parents seeking a name of precise linguistic identity, robust historical lineage, and distinguished literary association.