Jacobia
A feminine variant of Jacob, a Hebrew name meaning "supplanter".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Jacobia. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Jacobia today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jacobia births was 1988 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jacobia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jacobia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1988
5 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1993 SSA rank
#9,296
Tracked since 1988
Gender
Gender distribution for Jacobia
Jacobia is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 20 total registrations, 5 (25.0%) were male and 15 (75.0%) were female.
Jacobia as a male name
- Ranked #9,296 in 1993
- 5 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1993 (5 births)
Jacobia as a female name
- Ranked #14,093 in 1992
- 5 female births in 1992
- Peak: 1988 (5 births)
Popularity
Jacobia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jacobia from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 15 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jacobia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jacobia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jacobia
The name Jacobia is a feminine variant of the Hebrew name Jacob, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows." It is derived from the biblical patriarch Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca, who is a central figure in the Old Testament.
The name Jacobia emerged in the Middle Ages as a feminine form of Jacob, particularly in regions where the Christian and Jewish faiths coexisted, such as parts of Europe and the Middle East. It was likely influenced by the Latin form "Jacobus" and the French form "Jacqueline."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jacobia can be found in the 12th century, in the writings of medieval chroniclers and ecclesiastical records. It was sometimes used as a name for women who were born on the feast day of St. James, which is a variation of the name Jacob.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Jacobia. One of the most famous was Jacobia of Settesoli (c. 1190-1273), an Italian mystic and religious writer who lived in the 13th century. She is known for her visions and spiritual writings, which were highly regarded in her time.
Another notable Jacobia was Jacobia of Baden (1407-1485), a German noblewoman and the wife of Louis I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. She played an important role in the political affairs of her time and was known for her patronage of the arts and learning.
In the 16th century, there was Jacobia Felicie (1515-1580), a French humanist and scholar who was renowned for her knowledge of classical literature and languages. She was a member of the intellectual circles of her time and corresponded with many of the leading scholars of the Renaissance.
The name Jacobia also appears in literary works, such as the 17th century play "The Witch of Edmonton" by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford, where one of the characters is named Jacobia.
Another notable figure with the name Jacobia was Jacobia Bonds (1854-1939), an African American educator and civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to improve educational opportunities for Black children in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the name Jacobia has become less common in modern times, it remains a unique and historical name with deep roots in various cultures and traditions.
People
Jacobia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jacobia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jacobia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jacobia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jacobia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Jacobia a common name?
We classify Jacobia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jacobia most popular?
The single biggest year for Jacobia was 1988, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jacobia is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jacobia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jacobia a female name?
Yes, 75.0% of people registered as Jacobia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Jacobia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jacobia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jacobia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Jacobia?
See how many Americans are named Jacobia on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.