Jacob first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Jacob has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Jacob

Hebrew name meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows at the heel".

Popularity of Jacob by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Jacob is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 100% of people named Jacob being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 6,976 male babies and 6 female babies born with the name Jacob.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 6 baby girls were named Jacob in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 6,976 6
2022 7,603 9
2021 8,458 8
2020 9,275 9
2019 10,759 8
2018 11,871 9
2017 13,245 16
2016 14,544 16
2015 15,979 23
2014 16,904 13
2013 18,185 23
2012 19,094 26
2011 20,389 23
2010 22,144 29
2009 21,196 27
2008 22,611 29
2007 24,299 34
2006 24,855 37
2005 25,843 40
2004 27,895 171
2003 29,650 47
2002 30,583 41
2001 32,570 38
2000 34,490 59
1999 35,369 63
1998 36,026 60
1997 34,158 61
1996 31,926 53
1995 31,132 66
1994 29,419 50
1993 27,485 67
1992 25,669 52
1991 25,197 61
1990 22,019 58
1989 17,833 75
1988 15,881 78
1987 14,323 90
1986 13,653 78
1985 12,282 77
1984 11,356 49
1983 10,999 66
1982 10,061 70
1981 9,351 60
1980 8,521 52
1979 7,547 41
1978 6,166 41
1977 5,792 35
1976 4,512 22
1975 3,621 24
1974 2,959 21

The history of the first name Jacob

The given name Jacob has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, which in turn comes from the Hebrew verb "aqav," meaning "to follow" or "to be behind." The name is believed to have been first used around the 2nd millennium BCE.

Jacob is a prominent name in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament. It is the name of one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites, Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca. The Book of Genesis recounts the story of Jacob, who was later renamed Israel, and his struggles with his twin brother Esau. Jacob's name is mentioned numerous times throughout the biblical text.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jacob can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca, is born around 1900 BCE. Several notable historical figures have borne the name Jacob, including Jacob ben Asher (1269-1343), a prominent Jewish codifier of Jewish law, and Jacob ben Judah Leon (1602-1675), a Jewish author and Talmudic scholar.

In the New Testament, the name Jacob is mentioned several times, including as the name of one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This apostle, also known as James the Less or James the Younger, is believed to have lived in the 1st century CE.

Throughout history, several other notable figures have borne the name Jacob. These include Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), a German philologist and one of the Brothers Grimm, known for their collection of fairy tales; Jacob Riis (1849-1914), a Danish-American social reformer and photographer; and Jacob Zuma (born 1942), a former President of South Africa.

Other famous individuals named Jacob include Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), an American-British sculptor; Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), a Swiss historian of art and culture; and Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/29-1682), a Dutch Golden Age painter.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Jacob was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jacob, please contact us.

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"Jacob first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/jacob-meaning-and-history/.

"Jacob first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/jacob-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 13 December, 2024

Jacob first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/jacob-meaning-and-history/.

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