Jacob

“Supplanter, or holder of the heel” — Hebrew, via Greek and Latin origin

Boy's name · #43 in the US (2025) · 90s

Jacob was #1 back in 1999, spent 14 years as America's #1 name, and stands at #43 today. About 988,000 boys have carried it since 1880. Jacob's short forms are Jack and Jake. About 8,900 boys a year are given Jack as their full name. Popular twin pairings with Jacob include Joshua, Joseph, and Lucas for boys, and Emma, Abigail, and Olivia for girls.

Around the world: #6 in Philippines (2024) · #19 in Canada (2024) · #25 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #27 in N. Ireland (2025) · #41 in England & Wales (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Jacobs

Jacob Zuma — 4th President of South Africa (2009–2018)
Jacob Grimm — German philologist, linguist, jurist and mythologist (1785–1863)
Jacob Bernoulli — Swiss mathematician (1655-1705)
Jacob Burckhardt — Swiss historian (1818–1897)
Jacob van Ruisdael — Dutch painter and engraver (1628-1682)

In stories & tradition

Jacob — Qur’an · Genesis 25
Jacob Black — Twilight · The Twilight Saga
Jacob (Thing) — Fantastic Four

What Jacobs become

Among 5,627 notable people named Jacob:

Business leaders appear 2.53× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, English peer, investment banker and philanthropist (1936–2024).

Similar names: Jake · Alexander · Jackson · Nicholas · Joshua · Gabriel

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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