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MyNameRoots

Baby name

Jacob

Boy

Origin of the name

Jacob comes, through Latin and Greek, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov. The Book of Genesis links it to aqev, “heel,” because he was born holding his brother Esau's heel; but it more likely comes from Ya'aqov-el, “may God protect.”

Short-lived name

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In 1998, Jacob reached its peak: 36,031 boys, 1 baby in 102. The trend faded fast: today's pace is 80% below the peak. Latest ranking, 2025: No. 43. 30% of all babies named Jacob since 1880 were born in the 1990s.
988,227births since 1880
1990sgeneration
No. 2rank at its peak, in 1998

Where babies named Jacob are born

1998

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Tap a state to see its figures.

The darker the blue, the more common Jacob is in the state, compared with its births. White: no births published that year.

Where it is most popular

Compared with the national average, Jacob is most common in Nevada (2 times), Alaska (1.9) and Utah (1.6), taking into account all births in each state since 1910.

One letter apart

Names from the same era

Nicholas · Samuel · Christian · Alexander · Tyler · Jose

Born in…

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