His first name in Latin is Jacobus, Iacobus or Iacopus, while in Italian it is Jacopo, Iacopo or Giacomo, which in English is "James". In Latin his surname is de Voragine or de Varagine, in Italian da Varagine or da Varazze.[1][2] The surname is a family name, meaning "of Varazze". The spelling Voragine is a variant of Varagine and does not derive from vorago (abyss), as sometimes claimed.[2]