Jacob is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Jacob means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Jacob across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Jacob has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Jacob is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter, holder of the heel”. a biblical patriarch.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 990,532 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 92,693 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,434 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 2,456 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 2,916 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 9,192 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Jacob per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1998 (36,091/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (5,286/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2016 (287/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2016 (195/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2017 (180/yr).
Jacob has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1998, when it ranked #2 nationally (given to 38,894 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1990s.
Jakob · Jacoby · Jakobe · Jaycob · Jacobi · Jakub · Jakobi · Jakoby
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →