Find out how popular the last name Jacoby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jacoby.

Jacoby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jacoby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jacoby in America

Jacoby is the 3776th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jacoby surname appeared 9,372 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Jacoby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jacoby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jacoby

The surname Jacoby originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows behind." The name likely came into use as a patronymic, indicating a person as the son of Jacob.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jacoby can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. A reference to a certain Henricus Jacoby is documented in this codex, dated to the year 1283.

In the 14th century, the surname Jacoby appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Libro de los Fuegos, a tax register from the Kingdom of Aragon. This document mentions a Petrus Jacoby living in the town of Castellón de la Plana in 1377.

The Jacoby surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Johann Jacoby, a German astronomer born in 1805 who made significant contributions to the study of comets and asteroids. Another is Friedrich Jacoby, a German classical scholar and philologist who lived from 1876 to 1959 and is renowned for his work on ancient Greek history and literature.

In the 16th century, the surname Jacoby can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a prominent family of the name resided. One member, Hans Jacoby (1518-1585), was a respected merchant and city councilor.

The name Jacoby has also been linked to various place names, such as Jacobydorf (now Jakubów) in Poland, which was likely named after an early settler with the surname.

Other notable individuals with the surname Jacoby include:

1. Sir Walter Jacoby (1842-1915), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Newfoundland from 1909 to 1913.

2. Annice Jacoby (1899-1975), an American editor and writer who co-founded the pioneering children's magazine "Child Life" in 1935.

3. Oswald Jacoby (1902-1984), an American contract bridge player and author who was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his era.

4. Russell Jacoby (born 1945), an American sociologist and author known for his works on critical theory and intellectual history.

5. Susan Jacoby (born 1945), an American author and secular humanist known for her writings on modern secularism and freedom of thought.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jacoby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jacoby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jacoby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jacoby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jacoby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jacoby, please contact us.

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