Boy · #1,219 in 2026

Jakob

Jakob is a masculine given name that is a variant spelling of the Hebrew given name Jacob.

  • German
  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
  • Danish
Current Rank
#1,219
Peak Rank
#172 (2001)
Total Babies
32K
5-Yr Trend
-41%
1957
First Year
2026
Last Year
2001
Peak Year
#172
Peak Rank
32K
Total Count
67
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Jakob

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Jakob is a masculine given name that is a variant spelling of the Hebrew given name Jacob.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • German
  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
  • Danish
  • Icelandic
  • Dutch
  • Slovene
  • Hungarian
  • Czech

The Story of Jakob

Jakob first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1957, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2001: 2,192 births, good for #172 nationwide. About 46% of every Jakob on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Jakob ranks #1,219 for baby boys with 166 births, falling sharply (-41%). All told, over 32K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to 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 Jakob

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jakob. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Jakob

Phonetically similar names — useful when Jakob is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jakob

What does the name Jakob mean?
Jakob is a masculine given name that is a variant spelling of the Hebrew given name Jacob.
What is the origin of the name Jakob?
Jakob has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Slovene, Hungarian, Czech.
How popular is Jakob in 2026?
In 2026, Jakob ranks #1,219 among boys' names in the U.S., with 166 babies given the name that year.
When was Jakob most popular?
Jakob reached its peak popularity in 2001, ranking #172 that year with 2,192 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Jakob most popular?
Jakob has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Jakob.
Is Jakob a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Jakob is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Jakob?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Jakob include Benny, Messiah, Anton. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Jakob?
Common variants and related forms of Jakob include Cobus, Coos, Ib, Jaap, Jacob, Jacobus. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Jakob

Jakob is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 32K births in the dataset. Jakob's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #172. Use the chart and map above to compare Jakob's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

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.