Yoab
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "fathered by Yahweh".
Name Census estimates that about 23 living Americans carry the first name Yoab. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yoab today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yoab births was 2023 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yoab. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Yoab with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yoab. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
23
~ 1 in 14,902,363 Americans
Peak year
2023
11 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2023 SSA rank
#7,705
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Yoab: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yoab from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 17 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
Yoab 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 Yoab 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 Yoab
The name Yoab has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "av," which means "father," and the prefix "yo," which may signify "Yahweh is." As such, the name Yoab could be interpreted to mean "Yahweh is father" or "fathered by Yahweh."
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Yoab can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the books of Samuel and Chronicles. Yoab was the name of the nephew of King David and the commander of David's army. He played a significant role in the events described in these biblical accounts, including the civil war between David and Ishbosheth, the son of Saul.
The earliest recorded examples of individuals bearing the name Yoab can be traced back to the biblical period and the ancient Israelite culture. In addition to the biblical figure mentioned above, there were several other historical figures named Yoab throughout the centuries.
One such individual was Yoab ben Zeruiah, who lived during the reign of King David in the 10th century BCE. He was a prominent military leader and played a crucial role in consolidating David's reign over Israel.
Another notable bearer of the name was Yoab ben Shemaiah, a Jewish scribe who lived in the 3rd century BCE during the Hellenistic period. He is credited with contributing to the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, known as the Septuagint.
In the 1st century CE, there was a Jewish revolutionary named Yoab ben Nahum, who participated in the Great Revolt against the Roman Empire. He was a prominent figure in the Jewish resistance movement during that period.
During the Middle Ages, Yoab ben Shmuel was a renowned Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived in the 11th century. He wrote extensively on topics related to Jewish law and philosophy, and his works had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of his time.
It is worth noting that while the name Yoab has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, it has been adopted and used in various forms across different regions and cultures throughout history. However, in this report, the focus remains solely on the first name Yoab and its historical significance within the context of its Hebrew origins.
People
Yoab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yoab as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yoab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yoab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yoab 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 14,902,363 US residents.
Is Yoab a common name?
We classify Yoab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 42.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 23 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yoab most popular?
The single biggest year for Yoab was 2023, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yoab is about 5 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 Yoab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yoab a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yoab 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 Yoab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yoab 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 Yoab 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 Americans are named Yoab?
See how many people have the name Yoab on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.