Tiago is the Portuguese form of James, split off from Santiago, Saint James, whose Hebrew root Ya'aqov means "supplanter" or "holder of the heel". It is one of the most popular boys' names in Portugal and Brazil, and soccer stars such as Thiago Silva have made the h-spelling familiar to American fans. Tiago ranked number 4548 in the United States in 2000, reached number 1028 in 2022 and stands at number 1117 in 2025.