Jacob

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Jakob in DE Germany, AT Austria, NO Norway and 4 more, Jacobs in ZA South Africa, BE Belgium, IT Italy and 2 more, Yaakov in IL Israel, BR Brazil and Იაკობ in GE Georgia.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 14 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Jacob is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name487K records spelled Jacob4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Mexico, France, Chile

  Languages: Spanish, French

  Also written Jäcöb, Jac'Ob

• Hindi given name152K records spelled Jacob12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Nigeria, United Kingdom

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bangla

  Also written জেকব, জ্যাকব, Jackob, Jekub, Jàcob

• Portuguese given name149K records spelled Jacob5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa

  Also written Jácob, Jacób, Jãcõb, Jacöb

• a separate given name79K records spelled Jacob4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Netherlands, United Kingdom

  Also written Jacób, Jácob

• a separate given name16K records spelled Jacob5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Norway, Canada, Sweden

  Also written Jåçöb, Ĵåċöb, J̷͕̌a̷̙͒ć̷̙ọ̷̓b̷̈́͜, Jacổb

121 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Jacob is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name 'Jacob' (Ya'aqov) is popularly etymologized in Genesis as 'heel-catcher' or 'supplanter' (from 'aqev', heel), though scholars suggest it may derive from a theophoric name like Ya'aqov-El ('May God protect'). The name 'Israel' (Yisra'el) is etymologized as 'God contends' or 'one who struggles with God' (from 'sarah', to contend/rule, and 'El', God).

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Jacob is of Hebrew origin (Ya'aqov) and is traditionally understood to mean "he takes by the heel" or "supplanter," based on the story of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Another possible meaning is "may God protect."

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• A classic and enduring name of Hebrew origin meaning 'supplanter' or 'follower'. It has remained one of the most popular male names in the Western world for centuries.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In Spanish, From Hebrew Ya'aqob, 'he who seizes the heel' or 'supplanter'; biblical patriarch's name.

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

• Jacob's significance is primarily genealogical; he serves as a vital link in the lineage of Jesus presented in the Gospel of Matthew, which establishes Jesus's legal claim as the Messiah and heir to the throne of David through his legal father, Joseph.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Jöns Jacob Berzeliusb. 1779SESwedish chemist (1779–1848)
• Camille Pissarrob. 1830FRnot in their usual nameDanish-French painter (1830-1903)
• Jack Kirbyb. 1917USnot in their usual nameAmerican comic book artist (1917–1994)
• Rodney Dangerfieldb. 1921USnot in their usual nameAmerican stand-up comedian (1921–2004)
• Jacob Zumab. 1942ZA4th President of South Africa (2009–2018)
• Jack Blackb. 1969USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor, comedian, singer, musician and producer (born 1969)
• Jake Gyllenhaalb. 1980USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (born 1980)
• Jake McLaughlinb. 1982USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor
• Daniel Radcliffeb. 1989GBnot in their usual nameEnglish actor and film producer (born 1989)
• Jacob Batalonb. 1996USAmerican actor

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,749 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Jacob?

We estimate roughly 874 thousand people bear Jacob (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Jacob have the most bearers?

We estimate about 805 thousand people bear Jacob in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled jacob.

How common is Jacob compared with other names?

In the United States, Jacob is the 195th most common given name of 3,122,706 given names recorded there.

Is Jacob a male or female name?

Jacob is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Jacob mean?

Recorded meaning: From the personal name Jacob, via Latin Jacobus from Hebrew Yaakov; probably 'heel'.