Jakeb
A masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Jacob or James.
Name Census estimates that about 1,148 living Americans carry the first name Jakeb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jakeb today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jakeb births was 1999 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jakeb. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 298,566 Americans
Peak year
1999
74 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,079
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Jakeb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jakeb from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 505 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jakeb 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 Jakeb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jakebs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, California, Indiana recorded the most babies named Jakeb, while Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jakeb
The name Jakeb originates from the Hebrew language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is a variation of the name Jacob, which is derived from the Hebrew word "Ya'aqov," meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the younger twin brother of Esau. He is an important figure in the book of Genesis, known for his struggle with God and for being the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jakeb can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea. These scrolls date back to the third century BCE and contain various spellings of the name, including "Yaqub" and "Yaqev."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jakeb. One of the earliest known was Jakeb ben Yaakov, a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 10th century CE in the city of Cordoba, Spain. He was known for his work in interpreting the Talmud and other Jewish texts.
Another prominent figure was Jakeb ben Asher, a 14th-century German rabbi and codifier of Jewish law, who authored the influential work "Arba'ah Turim" (Four Rows), which became a foundational text in the development of the Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish law.
In the realm of literature, Jakeb Grimmelshausen was a 17th-century German novelist and poet, best known for his picaresque novel "Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus" (The Adventurous Simplicissimus), which is considered a masterpiece of German literature.
In the world of art, Jakeb Jordaens was a 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter, known for his vibrant and dynamic works depicting religious and mythological subjects, as well as genre scenes and portraits.
Lastly, Jakeb Bohme was a 16th-century German mystic and philosophical writer, whose works, such as "Aurora" and "De Signatura Rerum," explored the nature of existence and the relationship between God and the universe.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Jakeb, a name with deep roots in the Hebrew culture and language, and a rich legacy spanning centuries.
People
Jakeb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jakeb 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
Jakeb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jakeb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jakeb 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 298,566 US residents.
Is Jakeb a common name?
We classify Jakeb as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,170 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jakeb most popular?
The single biggest year for Jakeb was 1999, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jakeb is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jakeb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jakeb 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.
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.