Jacoub
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Jacoub. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jacoub today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jacoub births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jacoub. 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 Jacoub. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#12,821
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Jacoub: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jacoub 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 Jacoub during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jacoub
Jacoub is a masculine given name with origins tracing back to the ancient Aramaic language. The name is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, which is the original form of the English name Jacob. This name has its roots in the biblical figure Jacob, one of the prominent patriarchs in the Old Testament.
The name Jacoub was particularly prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, where Aramaic was widely spoken during ancient times. It gained popularity among various Semitic cultures and religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In the Bible, Jacob is a central figure whose story is recounted in the book of Genesis. He is described as the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the grandson of Abraham. Jacob's name is said to have been changed to Israel after he wrestled with an angel of God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jacoub can be found in the ancient Syriac Christian texts, which were written in the Aramaic language. The name was borne by several early Christian figures, such as Jacoub of Serugh, a renowned Syrian poet and theologian who lived in the fifth century.
Throughout history, the name Jacoub has been carried by notable individuals across various fields. One such person was Jacoub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, a prominent Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who lived in the 9th century and is regarded as the father of Arab philosophy.
Another noteworthy figure was Jacoub al-Qaramani, a 12th-century Andalusian poet and scholar who was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and Islamic studies.
In the realm of religion, Jacoub of Edessa was a significant figure in the 7th century. He was a Syrian bishop and theologian who played a crucial role in the development of Syriac Christianity.
The name Jacoub has also been borne by historical figures in the Islamic tradition. One such individual was Jacoub ibn Layth al-Saffar, a 9th-century Persian ruler who founded the Saffarid dynasty, which ruled over parts of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the name Jacoub, which has a rich heritage and a diverse cultural background spanning various regions and religions.
People
Jacoub + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jacoub 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
Jacoub: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jacoub?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jacoub 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Jacoub a common name?
We classify Jacoub as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jacoub most popular?
The single biggest year for Jacoub was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jacoub is about 12 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 Jacoub in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jacoub a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jacoub in the SSA data are male. 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 Jacoub still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jacoub 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 Jacoub 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 are called Jacoub?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.