Jacob

Jacob: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “holder of the heel; supplanter”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: JAY-kəb · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Hebrew Ya'aqov. In the Bible, Jacob is born holding his twin brother Esau's heel.

Hebrew names English names American names Classic names Biblical names International names

How popular is Jacob?

20241,954 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Jacob in 20246,505

2024 rank#41 boys

Peak year1998

Total US babies since 1880984,245

Jacob is fading: recent use is about 44% of its level ten years before.

Names like Jacob

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Jakesupplanter · Hebrew
Jacquelinesupplanter · French
Yaakovsupplanter · Hebrew
Jakobesupplanter · Hebrew
Kobysupplanter · Hebrew
Jacquesupplanter · French
Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
Jamessupplanter · Hebrew

Jacob questions

What does the name Jacob mean?

Jacob means "holder of the heel; supplanter". It comes from Hebrew. From Hebrew Ya'aqov. In the Bible, Jacob is born holding his twin brother Esau's heel.

Is Jacob a boy or girl name?

Jacob is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Jacob?

6,505 US babies were named Jacob in 2024. Its peak year was 1998.

How do you pronounce Jacob?

Jacob is usually pronounced JAY-kəb.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.