Jacob
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Jacob
Biblical Jacob ceded his Number 1 spot to biblical Noah, in 2013, after holding first place on the list of baby boy names from 1999 to 2012, given a huge boost by the Twilight phenomenon.
Jacob has widespread appeal to a range of parents, with an image of honesty and warmth. Another plus is the friendly nickname Jake — also given on its own to thousands of boys every year — which shares the cool-yet-earthy appeal of equally stylish cousins Max and Sam.
Jacob comes from the Latin name Iacobus, which was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Ya’aqov. In the Old Testament, Jacob was one of the most important patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He was the youngest son of Isaac and Rebecca and the twin brother of Esau, as well as the husband of both Leah and Rachel. The 12 tribes of Israel evolved from his 12 sons.
Jacob is still among the most popular boy names starting with J, along with James, Jack, and Jackson, and is Number 1 for boys among Gen Z names.
The downside is that Jacob is at this point way overused. Jacoby is one trendy variation. Jakob, meanwhile, is an alternate spelling used by the Dutch, Scandinavians and Germans. Some interesting international versions include the Scottish Hamish, the Cornish Jago, and the Dutch Jaap.
Jacob is also given to girls.
Pronounced JAY-kub.
As of October 2026, Jacob ranked #43 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1 in 2002, Nameberry popularity #153.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #4 | 16,916 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #4 | 15,999 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #7 | 14,554 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #9 | 13,265 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #13 | 11,891 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #12 | 10,786 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #15 | 9,306 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #24 | 8,481 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #32 | 7,658 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #35 | 7,005 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #41 | 6,496 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #43 | 6,152 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Jacob.
Jacob on lists
Famous Jacobs
- Jacob Gedleyihlekisa ZumaBoy
President of South Africa
- Jacob Ludwig Carl GrimmBoy
German philologist, jurist, and mythologist.
- Jacob Benjamin "Jake" GyllenhaalBoy
American actor.
- Jacob Edward "Jake" PeavyBoy
American baseball pitcher.
- Jacob Anthony deGromBoy
American baseball pitcher.
- Jacob Mark "Jake" PittsBoy
American guitarist.
- Jacob VargasBoy
Mexican,American actor.
- Jacob Dolson CoxBoy
American politician; 28th Governor of Ohio.
- Jacob ArtistBoy
American actor and singer.
- Jacob Daniel HandyBoy
American actor.
- Jacob TremblayBoy
Canadian actor.
- Jacob Seth LoflandBoy
American actor.
- Jacob HubnerBoy
German entomologist.
- Jacob Isaacksz van RuisdaelBoy
Dutch landscape painter.
- Jacob WhitesidesBoy
American singer
- Jacob Tyler "J.T." RealmutoBoy
American baseball player.
- Jacob Loucks DeversBoy
U.S. Army general
- Jacob WarnerBoy
birth name of Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner, Canadian,American film executive
- Jacob August RiisBoy
Danish,American journalist and activist
- Jacob BernoulliBoy
Swiss mathematician
- Jacob Pavlovich Adler (born Yankev P. Adler)Boy
Ukrainian,American Yiddish actor
- Jacob Edward "Jake" HoffmanBoy
American actor
- Jacob "Jake" DaltonBoy
American artistic gymnast
- (Rolf) Jacob SartoriusBoy
American pop singer
- Jacob BatalonBoy
Filipino,American actor
- Jacob Emerson "Jake" Fishman (b. 2008)Boy
son of actress Courtney Thorne,Smith
- Jacob Bryan Fisher (b. 2019)Boy
son of American singer,songwriter Carrie Underwood and American former professional ice hockey player Mike Fisher
- Ryan Paevey (born Ryan Jacob PaeveyBoy
Vlieger), American model and actor
- Jacob Erwin Wetterling (b. 1978)Boy
11 year old American boy who was abducted and murdered in 1989
- Jacob ElordiBoy
Australian actor
Jacob in pop culture
- Jacob MarleyBoy
character from Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
- Jacob BlackBoy
werewolf character in the "Twilight" series
- JacobBoy
character from TV's "Lost"
- Jacob David "Jake" HarperBoy
character on TV's "Two and a Half Men"
- Jacob JankowskiBoy
main character in book/movie "Water for Elephants"
- Jacob PortmanBoy
main character in the "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" series by Ransom Riggs
- Jacob "Jake" PentecostBoy
character in "Pacific Rim"
- Jacob CarterBoy
character on TV's "Stargate: SG,1"
- Jacob GallagherBoy
character on British soap "Emmerdale"
- Jacob "Jake" MoonBoy
character on British soap "EastEnders"
- Jacob "Jake" SiskoBoy
character on TV's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
- Jacob Daniel JohnsonBoy
character in the Nightmare on Elm Street series
- JacobitismBoy
18th century political movement to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England to the throne
- Jacob "Jake" BarnesBoy
character in Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises"
- JacobBoy
a character in "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan
- Jacob KowalskiBoy
character in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
- Jacob PalmerBoy
character in film "Crazy, Stupid, Love"
- Jacob HopkinsBoy
character from the animated show "The Owl House"