Jacob Name Meaning

A long-time ruler of the U.S. Top Ten in the 2000s, Jacob has ancient roots with strong biblical ties. Hebrew for “supplanter,” Jacob is also related to the classic James.

Jacob offers a warmth and kindness not often found in boy names where strength and bravado are often cherished. Parents love his boy next door nickname of Jake, a friendly moniker similar to yesterday’s Jim and Johnny. They also love that he’s a J name, a perennial favorite among boy names as seen in Jason, Jackson, and Joshua.

Jacob’s popularity can also be tied to the rise of other biblical names as seen in Noah, Elijah, and Samuel. From the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, Jacob appears in the biblical Book of Genesis, the twin brother of Esau and the father of twelve sons who went on to start the Tribes of Israel. He was said to be a bit of a ornery one, born holding Esau’s heel as if trying to hold him back from being the firstborn son. This legend has lead to some referring to the name as meaning “holder of the heel.”

Variants of the name include Jacoby and Coby as well as the alternative spelling Jakob. Female variants include Jacqueline, Jaclyn, and Jackie. Names with a similar vibe include Caleb, Thomas, and Matthew.

Infographic of Jacob name meaning, which is A name of humble Hebrew origins, Jacob means a supplanter.
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Jacob Name Popularity

How popular is the name Jacob? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 120 225 0.0639%
1911 120 270 0.0725%
1912 110 655 0.1299%
1913 116 718 0.1266%
1914 112 970 0.1392%
1915 119 1,110 0.1222%
1916 123 1,112 0.1151%
1917 130 1,094 0.1094%
1918 132 1,173 0.1093%
1919 138 1,055 0.1008%
1920 143 1,026 0.0923%
1921 144 1,068 0.0933%
1922 148 1,003 0.09%
1923 158 953 0.0851%
1924 163 953 0.0821%
1925 165 873 0.0772%
1926 178 783 0.0712%
1927 173 827 0.0747%
1928 196 692 0.0647%
1929 206 612 0.0591%
1930 211 587 0.0562%
1931 220 532 0.0539%
1932 218 527 0.0533%
1933 216 501 0.0538%
1934 218 520 0.0538%
1935 245 437 0.045%
1936 225 479 0.0497%
1937 219 516 0.0524%
1938 240 452 0.0442%
1939 265 378 0.0372%
1940 233 490 0.0461%
1941 269 415 0.0369%
1942 248 502 0.0398%
1943 282 438 0.0336%
1944 286 393 0.0317%
1945 296 377 0.0309%
1946 305 416 0.0282%
1947 299 488 0.0292%
1948 292 510 0.0319%
1949 310 449 0.0279%
1950 322 407 0.0253%
1951 311 460 0.0271%
1952 298 524 0.03%
1953 287 563 0.0318%
1954 306 515 0.0282%
1955 307 532 0.0289%
1956 322 494 0.0262%
1957 332 501 0.026%
1958 340 477 0.0252%
1959 331 517 0.0272%
1960 349 457 0.0241%
1961 353 460 0.0244%
1962 375 420 0.0229%
1963 352 448 0.025%
1964 339 503 0.0286%
1965 348 442 0.027%
1966 357 408 0.0261%
1967 351 410 0.027%
1968 324 512 0.0341%
1969 297 618 0.0401%
1970 251 894 0.0562%
1971 219 1,036 0.0689%
1972 153 1,675 0.123%
1973 122 2,118 0.1634%
1974 87 2,959 0.2277%
1975 75 3,626 0.2822%
1976 63 4,512 0.3501%
1977 56 5,795 0.4299%
1978 50 6,159 0.4581%
1979 45 7,546 0.5352%
1980 43 8,525 0.5831%
1981 43 9,352 0.6362%
1982 41 10,060 0.6732%
1983 36 11,001 0.7455%
1984 37 11,349 0.7629%
1985 35 12,272 0.8085%
1986 31 13,649 0.9042%
1987 31 14,318 0.9383%
1988 28 15,872 1.0185%
1989 26 17,830 1.1049%
1990 20 22,010 1.3279%
1991 17 25,190 1.5454%
1992 15 25,661 1.6077%
1993 9 27,482 1.7628%
1994 7 29,413 1.9166%
1995 4 31,129 2.0655%
1996 3 31,923 2.132%
1997 2 34,151 2.309%
1998 2 36,014 2.4062%
1999 1 35,361 2.3613%
2000 1 34,471 2.2565%
2001 1 32,541 2.1597%
2002 1 30,568 2.0398%
2003 1 29,630 1.9476%
2004 1 27,879 1.8292%
2005 1 25,830 1.6894%
2006 1 24,841 1.5865%
2007 1 24,273 1.5384%
2008 1 22,591 1.4617%
2009 1 21,169 1.4163%
2010 1 22,117 1.5348%
2011 1 20,365 1.4294%
2012 1 19,069 1.3382%
2013 2 18,148 1.2747%
2014 4 16,869 1.1578%
2015 4 15,938 1.0954%
2016 7 14,479 1.0042%
2017 10 13,106 0.939%
2018 13 11,770 0.8567%
2019 13 10,679 0.7889%
2020 15 9,080 0.7134%
2021 24 8,397 0.6869%
2022 32 7,539 0.5715%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Jacob

If you like Jacob, you’ll love these other names like Jacob.


What names are diminutives of Jacob?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Jacob sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Jacob, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Cob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Cobb

English

Cobby

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jaap

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jack

God is gracious

English

Jackie

Son of Jack; he who supplants; God is gracious

Hebrew

Jacko

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacky

Son of Jack; he who supplants; God is gracious

Hebrew

Jaco

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jaime

A Spanish form of James and Jacob.

Spanish

Jake

Supplanter

English

Jamey

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jamie

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jamsey

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jay

To heal

English

Jayme

He who supplants

Spanish

Jim

A diminutive form of James.

Hebrew

Jimmie

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jock

God is gracious

Hebrew

Kobi

Hungarian


What names are variants of Jacob?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Jacob.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Giacamo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Giacobbe

He who supplants

Hebrew

Giacobo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Giacomo

An Italian form of Jacob and James.

Italian

Giacopo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Hamish

Supplanter

Scottish

Iacopo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Iacovo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Iago

A Spanish form of Jacob and James.

Welsh

Iakob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Iakobos

He who supplants

Hebrew

Iakov

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacobi

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacobo

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacobus

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacoby

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jacopo

Italian

Jacques

A French form of James and Jacob.

French

Jacquet

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jago

A Spanish form of James and Jacob.

English

Jakeb

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jakie

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jakob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jakov

He who supplants

Hebrew

Jakub

He who supplants

Hebrew

James

Supplanter

English

Jamesie

He who supplants

Hebrew

Seamus

Supplanter

Irish

Shamus

A variant form of James.

Irish

Yaacob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Yakob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Yakov

He who supplants

Hebrew

Yakup

He who supplants

Hebrew

Yaqub

He who supplants

Hebrew


What names sound like Jacob?

If you like how Jacob sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Jacob.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Caleb

Whole heart

Hebrew

Jacek
Jacory

Created Name

American

Jameson

Son of James

English

Jason

To heal

Greek


What names are similar to Jacob?

Find a name that’s like Jacob, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
David

Beloved

Hebrew

Ethan

Enduring and strong

Hebrew

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

Isaiah

God is salvation

Hebrew

John

God is gracious

Hebrew

Jonah

Dove

Hebrew

Joseph

Jehovah will increase

Hebrew

Michael

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Noah

To rest

Hebrew

Samuel

Name of God

Hebrew


Lists With Jacob

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Jacob.


Siblings of Jacob

Mamas with kids named Jacob also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Augustus

Great, magnificient

Latin

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

Alex

Defender of man

Greek

Kayden

Son of Cadan

American

Kylie

Boomerang

Aboriginal

Chloe

Green sprout

Greek

Layla

Night

Arabic

Margot

Pearl

French

Shalom

Peace

Hebrew

Promise

One's word

English

Mateo

Gift of God

Spanish

Micah

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Zacharias

The Lord recalled

Hebrew

Elijah

My God is Yahweh

Hebrew

Khloe

Green sprout

Greek

Martavious
Nora

Honorable one

Latin

27 Comments

  1. We named him Jacob Andrew after my husband. It is a strong name and Biblical. We love Jacob and St. Andrew!

  2. I loved the name James for biblical reasons, but my hubby didn’t. However both James and Jacob are the same name in Hebrew and so we were able to settle on Jacob for that reason. My husband wanted a name that come have a nickname/shortened name.

  3. Excited to see updates

    • I like the name Jacob and my name is jacob

  4. We liked how it sounded.

  5. Jacob is a family name on both my side and my husband’s side. We named our son Jacob to honor the Jacobs in our family trees!

  6. Jacob from the Bible who became Israel the father of 12 tribes.

  7. horrible name. would NOT recommend.

    I just don’t wanna be called gaycob 🙁

    • I know bro i get called that all the time at college

  8. The name Jacob just came to me one day and I love it because no one in my family has that name.

  9. I’d always loved to the name Jacob seeing my baby boy for the first time I knew I wanted to name him Jacob its different for my family in he also looks like a Jacob

  10. It is a strong biblical name and I don’t mind the nicknames that come from it. Middle name is Joseph also biblical and after my fathers name.

  11. We had a few names pick out. We just like how it sounded with his whole name.

  12. We chose the name Jacob for several reason. One both my husband and I have J names (husband is Jose) I also am a twilight fan and loved Jacob Black. Jacob is also mentioned in the Bible. We do use Jake as a nickname, I hate anyone who referenced Jake from state farm.

  13. I had a great experience with my pregnancy. Even though at the end, I had couple little issues but when my baby got here, I knew everything I went through was all worthy. I am very grateful that god chose me to experience this journey and be part of motherhood. I love my son to the moon and back and I won’t mind doing it over and over again just for him.

  14. My maiden name is Jacobs. So all of the most influential men of my life carry that last name. I didn’t want to choose just one of them to name my son after, so I chose Jacob since it covered them all! ?

  15. He is named after his dad.

  16. Jacob is my husband’s grandfather’s name.

  17. I liked that name for my baby son “his 20 already” because it’s a beautiful and it gives kind of importance to the person that has it

  18. My husband wanted my sons name to be Jacob because he had a best friend named Jacob when he was a kid

  19. We choose the name after my husbands uncle who past away last march!

  20. Jacob was named by his siblings David and Isaac it was a great to have them involved in nameing their baby brother his middle name he got from his dad I just thought my children being involved in Jacobs name it would bring them closer to their baby brother and it has

  21. Bible names are cool

  22. I love the name

  23. Biblical name, short and simple. Lots of knickname options. Two syllables only.

  24. I ask my daughter to give me boys name and she same luke david jacob and a bunch of other boy name but jacob stuck put for me and i just knew in my.heart i was going to have a jacob.

  25. At the time we chose the name there weren’t lots of Jacobs around us, it wasn’t very popular and we liked that. It sounded beautiful in our native language, which is a bit different from the English name version.


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