2000
#4,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.80
Uncommon Last name
Jacobo
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,072 Americans carry the last name Jacobo. That puts it at #3,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,220 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacobo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,220
Census rank
#3,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,399 bearers of the surname Jacobo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacobo
The surname Jacobo is of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin name Jacobus, which was a form of the Biblical name Jacob. It first appeared in Spain during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century.
The name is believed to have originated in the region of Galicia, located in northwestern Spain. It may have been derived from the Latin word "Jacobus," meaning "supplanter" or "he who follows." Variants of the name include Jacabo, Jácobo, and Yacobó.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jacobo can be found in the Cartulario de Eslonza, a collection of medieval documents from the 12th century. This manuscript mentions a certain "Jacobo de Castrillo" in the year 1170.
During the 13th century, the surname Jacobo was associated with several notable figures. For instance, Jacobo de Vorágine (c. 1230-1298) was an Italian writer and Archbishop of Genoa, best known for his famous work, the Golden Legend.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the chronicles of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a certain Jacobo de Aragón (c. 1320-1387) was a prominent nobleman and military leader during the War of the Two Peters.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart (1718-1785), a Spanish nobleman and Duke of Berwick, who served as a general in the Spanish army during the 18th century.
As the name spread across Spain and its territories, it also took on various place-name associations. For example, the surname "Jacobo de Sevilla" likely referred to someone from the city of Seville, while "Jacobo de las Canarias" indicated origins in the Canary Islands.
Throughout history, there have been several other prominent individuals with the surname Jacobo, including Jacobo Cusanio (1452-1515), a German philosopher and theologian, and Jacobo Ziegler (1470-1549), a German humanist and cartographer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacobo
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacobo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jacobo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 10,790
- White3.4% · 393
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 115
- Black or African American0.3% · 39
- Two or more races0.3% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacobo
Jacobo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,590
+4,024 bearers (+53.2%)
Per 100,000 3.93
Rank movement Up 1,241 places
2020
#3,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,399
-191 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Up 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,346 | 7,566 | 2.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,105 | 11,590 | 3.93 | +4,024 bearers (+53.2%) | Up 1,241 places |
| 2020 | #3,074 | 11,399 | 3.81 | -191 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 31 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jacobo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,105 | #3,074 | 1.0% |
| Count | 11,590 | 11,399 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.93 | 3.81 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacobo bearers went from 11,590 to 11,399 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,105 to #3,074.
FAQ
Jacobo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacobo?
Name Census estimates that about 13,072 living Americans carry the surname Jacobo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,220 residents.
How common is Jacobo?
Jacobo ranks #3,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,399 people with the surname Jacobo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Jacobo.
Has Jacobo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacobo went from 11,590 recorded bearers to 11,399. That is a decrease of 191 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,105 to #3,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacobo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jacobo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (10,790 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacobo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jacobo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jacobo mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jacobo (3.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Jacobo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.