How common is the surname Jacob?

24,688 people in the United States had the surname Jacob in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,506 Americans. It ranked 1,444th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Jacob?

In the 2010 Census, 60% of people named Jacob identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Jacob?

Lisa Jacob, American swimmer, followed by Edwin Jacob.

Where is the surname Jacob most common?

Wikidata records people named Jacob in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Jacob getting more or less common?

More common. 21,354 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,688 in 2010, up 16%.

Is Jacob also a first name?

Yes. Jacob is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Jacob

A surname, carried by 24,688 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex J210 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Jacob is more common than 99.1% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 24,688 people named Jacob in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,506 Americans. That is up 16% since 2000, when the Census counted 21,354.

#1,444

rank among US surnames

24,688

people in 2010

8.4

per 100,000 Americans

+15.6%

change since 2000 (was #1,541)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,435	Walden	24,821	12,439
#1,436	Hutchison	24,820	12,439
#1,437	Griggs	24,819	12,440
#1,438	Nix	24,786	12,456
#1,439	Clifton	24,758	12,471
#1,440	Thomson	24,750	12,475
#1,441	Yarbrough	24,749	12,475

Who is named Jacob

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

60% of people named Jacob identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 60%
Asian and Pacific Islander 23%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.1%
Two or more races 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Jacobs

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Lisa Jacob
American swimmer, born 1974
Edwin Jacob
Birtish Olympic sailor, 1878–1964
John J. Jacob
American politician (1829-1893)
Ian Jacob
British Army general (1899-1993)
Claud Jacob
British army officer (1863-1948)
Caresse Crosby
American publisher, activist, and inventor of the bra (1892–1970)

Notable Jacobs come mostly from the United States (3) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Jacob

Jacob has the Soundex code J210, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J210.

Questions

How common is the surname Jacob?: 24,688 people in the United States had the surname Jacob in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,506 Americans. It ranked 1,444th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Jacob?: In the 2010 Census, 60% of people named Jacob identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Jacob?: Lisa Jacob, American swimmer, followed by Edwin Jacob.
Where is the surname Jacob most common?: Wikidata records people named Jacob in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Is the surname Jacob getting more or less common?: More common. 21,354 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,688 in 2010, up 16%.
Is Jacob also a first name?: Yes. Jacob is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.