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Summary
- No one named Jermaine appears in the Bible, and the name has no Hebrew form or meaning.
- Jermaine is an English spelling of the French Germain, from the Roman name Germanus, “brother” in Latin.
- The Latin word germanus appears in the Vulgate at Genesis 27:35, where Isaac tells Esau that his brother came deceitfully.
- Saints of the name include Germanus of Auxerre (c. 378–c. 448), Germain of Paris (c. 496–576) and Germaine Cousin (1579–1601).
- Jermaine entered the US top 1,000 for boys in 1970 and peaked at 127th in 1973, as Jermaine Jackson of the Jackson 5 became famous.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Jermaine,” “Germain,” “Germanus” (citing Iiro Kajanto, The Latin Cognomina, 1982) and “Germaine,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/jermaine
- “Jermaine,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jermaine
- “Jermaine Jackson,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jermaine_Jackson
- Online Etymology Dictionary, “german (adj.),” “German (n.)” and “germane.” https://www.etymonline.com/word/germane
- Strong’s Hebrew 251, ach, “brother,” Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/251.htm
- “Germanus of Auxerre,” Wikipedia, drawing on Constantius of Lyon’s Life of Germanus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanus_of_Auxerre
- “Pelagianism,” Wikipedia, on the condemnation at the Council of Carthage in 418. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagianism
- “Germain of Paris,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germain_of_Paris
- “Germaine Cousin,” Wikipedia, quoting The Catholic Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germaine_Cousin
- Genesis 27:35 in the Latin Vulgate, and a search of the Vulgate for frater, Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+27%3A35&version=VULGATE
- Scripture quotations: Genesis 27:35, English Standard Version.
