# Jacob (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jacob/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “may he heel”, “to heel”, “heel of the foot” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Jay |
| Variant spellings | Yaacov |
| US babies named this | 990,532 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 988,227 / 2,305 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 95,012, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from the third-person singular masculine imperfective form of the Semitic verb "to heel" (with various meanings), in turn from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel of the foot”). Doublet of James, Yaakov, and Yakub.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 29 | 4,900 |
| 2011 | 23 | 5,816 |
| 2012 | 26 | 5,309 |
| 2013 | 23 | 5,722 |
| 2014 | 13 | 8,667 |
| 2015 | 23 | 5,730 |
| 2016 | 16 | 7,390 |
| 2017 | 16 | 7,225 |
| 2018 | 9 | 10,907 |
| 2019 | 8 | 11,797 |
| 2020 | 9 | 10,608 |
| 2021 | 8 | 11,537 |
| 2022 | 10 | 9,992 |
| 2023 | 6 | 14,130 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10,612 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 20,403 | 1 |
| 2012 | 19,110 | 1 |
| 2013 | 18,201 | 2 |
| 2014 | 16,923 | 4 |
| 2015 | 16,005 | 4 |
| 2016 | 14,559 | 7 |
| 2017 | 13,269 | 9 |
| 2018 | 11,897 | 13 |
| 2019 | 10,797 | 12 |
| 2020 | 9,309 | 15 |
| 2021 | 8,494 | 24 |
| 2022 | 7,667 | 32 |
| 2023 | 7,015 | 35 |
| 2024 | 6,541 | 40 |
| 2025 | 6,152 | 43 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5,047 | 7 |
| 2012 | 5,286 | 5 |
| 2013 | 5,126 | 4 |
| 2014 | 5,050 | 4 |
| 2015 | 4,850 | 5 |
| 2016 | 4,485 | 5 |
| 2017 | 3,968 | 6 |
| 2018 | 3,350 | 11 |
| 2019 | 3,065 | 11 |
| 2020 | 2,327 | 19 |
| 2021 | 2,319 | 17 |
| 2022 | 1,892 | 22 |
| 2023 | 1,655 | 24 |
| 2024 | 1,484 | 30 |
| 2025 | 1,258 | 41 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: يَعْقُوب
- Armenian: Հակոբ
- Bulgarian: Я́ков
- Catalan: Jaume
- Chinese: 雅各布
- Czech: Jakub
- Danish: Jacob
- Dutch: Jacob, Jacobus
- Estonian: Jaak
- Finnish: Jaakko
- French: Jacob, Jacques
- German: Jakob
- Greek: Ιάκωβος, Ιακώβ, Τζέικομπ
- Hindi: जेकब
- Icelandic: Jakob
- Irish: Séamus, Séamas
- Italian: Giacobbe, Giacomo, Jacopo
- Latvian: Jēkabs
- Norwegian: Jakob
- Polish: Jakub

## People named Jacob

- Jacob Zuma, 4th President of South Africa (2009–2018)
- Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, German mathematician (1804–1851)
- Max Jacob, French poet, painter, writer and critic (1876-1944)
- Jacob Elordi, Australian actor (born 1997)
- Jacob van Ruisdael, Dutch painter and engraver (1628-1682)
- John Jacob Astor I, German-American businessman (1763-1848)
- Jacob Jordaens, Flemish painter, draftsman and designer of prints and tapestries (1593-1678)
- Jacob Batalon, American actor
- John Jacob Astor IV, American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel 
- Jacob Tremblay, Canadian actor
- Jacobus Arminius, Dutch theologian, inspirator of Arminianism, champion of tolerance (1560-1609)
- Jacob Riis, American photographer, journalist and activist (1849–1914)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.