Hebrew2 syllables#43 in the U.S.
Meaning: he grasps the heel; supplanter.
Jacob
| Origin | Hebrew — Ya'aqov, the third patriarch of Genesis, by way of Greek Iakōbos and Latin Iacobus |
|---|---|
| Meaning | "He grasps the heel", hence "supplanter", from aqev (heel); an older reading takes it as "may God protect" |
| Pronunciation | JAY-kub |
| Popularity | #43 in the U.S. today, after fourteen consecutive years at #1 from 1999 through 2012 |
| Variants | James, Jakob, Jacques, Jakub, Giacomo, Yaakov, Iago |
| Nicknames | Jake, Jay, Coby |
| Peak | The #1 boy name in the United States for every year from 1999 to 2012 |
History & meaning
Genesis supplies the etymology in the same breath as the birth: the second twin comes out holding his brother's heel, and he is called Ya'aqov, from aqev, heel. The book then spends twenty-five chapters making the pun literal — the birthright, the borrowed blessing, the twenty years with Laban, the night of wrestling at the ford that ends with a new name, Israel. "Supplanter" is the traditional English gloss and it fits the narrative, though a good many scholars think the name is older than the story and was originally theophoric, something on the order of "may God protect". Both readings are worth knowing; only the first is in the text.
The transmission is unusual, because one Hebrew name became two English ones. Greek Iakōbos gave Latin Iacobus, and in spoken late Latin the -b- slid to -m-, producing Iacomus. That vernacular branch became James in English, Jacques in French, Giacomo in Italian, Jaime in Spanish. The learned branch kept the -b- and became Jacob, which is why English Bibles have Jacob wrestling the angel while English kings are called James. In America Jacob was a solid middling name for two centuries, began climbing in the 1970s, and took #1 in 1999. It held the top spot for fourteen straight years — the longest run since Michael's stretch from 1954 to 1998 — before easing down to #43.
Why parents choose it
Most names are chosen on the way up. Jacob is now chosen on the way down, which is a genuinely different proposition: everything that made it the country's favourite for fourteen years is still there, minus the three Jacobs in one classroom. It is biblical without being severe, it produces Jake without any effort, and no one will ask how to spell it.
Middle names for Jacob
The stress falls on the first syllable, so a middle name that starts unstressed keeps the line moving: Jacob Emmett, Jacob Louis, Jacob Sinclair, Jacob Ross. See the middle names guide for how to test a pairing out loud before you commit.
Famous Jacobs
Jacob Grimm, the elder of the Brothers Grimm, was a philologist first and a folklorist second; the sound shift called Grimm's law is his. Jacob Riis photographed New York tenements for How the Other Half Lives in 1890. Jacob deGrom has won the Cy Young Award twice.
Consider instead
James is the same name down the other road, and steadier in the rankings. Isaac is Jacob's father in Genesis and a shade less used. Levi is one of Jacob's own sons, shorter and more current.