ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1911 First Year 2024 Last Year 2004 Peak Year #1262 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 66 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Jacob What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Jacob is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin. The English form is derived from the Latin Iacobus, from the Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), ultimately from the Hebrew יַעֲקֹב‎, the name of Jacob, biblical patriarch of the Israelites, and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5F%28name%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * Dutch * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish * Jewish * Biblical [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Jacob](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Isaak_zegent_Jakob_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-110.jpeg/330px-Isaak_zegent_Jakob_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-110.jpeg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5F%28name%29) 📖 ## The Story of Jacob Jacob first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 404 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1998, when 36,027 Jacobs were born — ranking #2 that year. As of 2026, Jacob ranks #46 for baby boys with 5,835 births, falling sharply (-38%). In total, more than 994K Jacobs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Jacob Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jacob. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Cobus * [Coby](/coby) * Coos * Ib * [Jaap](/jaap) * [Jacobus](/jacobus) * [Jake](/jake) * [Jakob](/jakob) * [Jaycob](/jaycob) * [Jeb](/jeb) * Jeppe * Kapel * Kobus * [Koby](/koby) * Koos * Koppel * [Yankel](/yankel) ⭐ ## Notable people named Jacob A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●See also: Jakob (given name) Patriarch Jacob of Alexandria (1803–1865), Greek Patriarch of Alexandria 1861–1865 * ●Saint Jakov , Archbishop of Serbs 1286–1292 * ●Saint Jacob of Alaska , missionary of the Orthodox Church * ●Saint Jacob of Nisibis , Bishop of Nisibis * ●Jacob (Book of Mormon prophet) * ●All pages with titles beginning with Jacob * ●All pages with titles beginning with Jacob of * ●All pages with titles beginning with Jacob the Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5F%28name%29) 🌐 ## Where is Jacob most common? Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally. * 🏳️AE36% * 🇳🇬Nigeria22% * 🇺🇸United States16% * 🇮🇳India14% * 🏳️BH13% Source: [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts. 🎶 ## Names that sound like Jacob Phonetically similar names — useful when Jacob is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Jakob](/jakob) * [Jakab](/jakab) * [Jacobs](/jacobs) * Shakeup * [Jakey](/jakey) * Joka * Jacka * Jaka * Jukka * Juca * Joca * Gica Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Jacob What does the name Jacob mean? Jacob is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin. The English form is derived from the Latin Iacobus, from the Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), ultimately from the Hebrew יַעֲקֹב‎, the name of Jacob, biblical patriarch of the Israelites, and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. What is the origin of the name Jacob? Jacob has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, Biblical. How popular is Jacob in 2026? In 2026, Jacob ranks #46 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5,835 babies given the name that year. When was Jacob most popular? Jacob reached its peak popularity in 1998, ranking #1 that year with 36,027 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Jacob most popular? Jacob has historically been most popular in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Jacob. Is Jacob a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Jacob is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Jacob? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Jacob include John, James, Robert. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Jacob? Common variants and related forms of Jacob include Cobus, Coby, Coos, Ib, Jaap, Jacobus. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧AldinePeak #1262](/aldine)[👧LeanorePeak #1262](/leanore)[👧PeightonPeak #1262](/peighton)[👧JociePeak #1263](/jocie)[👧MildrethPeak #1263](/mildreth)[👧HavanaPeak #1263](/havana)[👧SumikoPeak #1261](/sumiko)[👧HermelindaPeak #1261](/hermelinda) ## About the name Jacob Jacob is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 994K births in the dataset. Jacob's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #1\. Use the chart and map above to compare Jacob's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1998 → ](/year/1998) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "J" → ](/letter/j) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.