Jakob
Jakob was the 1372nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 135 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 172nd with 2,192 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 847 places. More babies were named Jakob in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning form of Jacob · German, Scandinavian, Hebrew
Say it JAY-kub /ˈdʒeɪkəb/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,372 boys, down 488 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 135boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20012,192 babies
- Total since 1880
- 31,959babies recorded
What does the name Jakob mean?
Jakob is the German, Scandinavian and Slavic spelling of Jacob. Jacob is Hebrew Yaʿaqov; in Genesis 25:26 the name is explained by his being born holding his twin Esau's heel (ʿaqev), and later (Genesis 27:36) Esau links it to a verb meaning "to supplant". DMNES calls it a name from the Hebrew word for "heel". The K spelling was most popular in the US around 2000, alongside Jacob's long run at the top.
יַעֲקֹב (Biblical Hebrew, “Yaʿaqov, linked to ʿaqev "heel"”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jacob, Jake, James, Jacques, Yakov.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jakob', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jacob', DMNES (Durham University)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 25:26, JPS Tanakh (Gender-Sensitive Edition) via Sefaria, Sefaria
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 27:36, JPS Tanakh (Gender-Sensitive Edition) via Sefaria, Sefaria
Nicknames for Jakob
The usual nicknames for Jakob are Jake. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jakob in the last five years, 388 were named Jake, against 250 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake · also for Jacob | Traditional | #457 | 3,971 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jakobs go by each one.
Jakob popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,372 | 135 |
| 2020 | #884 | 256 |
| 2010 | #298 | 1,097 |
| 2000 | #173 | 2,161 |
| 1990 | #578 | 306 |
| 1980 | #1,028 | 78 |
| 1970 | #4,466 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jakob, counting every spelling?
Jakob is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #864 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,372 for Jakob on its own. Together these spellings went to 265 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob | 135 | #1,372 | 1,023 |
| Jakobe | 122 | #1,461 | 892 |
| Jacobe | 8 | #9,235 | 48 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jakob?
135 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jakob (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jakob born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 62 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jakob.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jakob?
About 31,300 people born in the US named Jakob are alive today, with a median age of 23; half are between 17 and 27. That makes Jakob mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jakob by state
How common Jakob was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Colorado (1.6×). In 22 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jakob: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jakob, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jakob · Sibling names for Jakob
Questions about the name Jakob
What does Jakob mean?
Jakob means “form of Jacob” (German, Scandinavian, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jakob?
Jakob was the 1372nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 135 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 172nd with 2,192 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 847 places. More babies were named Jakob in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Jakob a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jakob in the US.
Where is Jakob most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jakob was most common in Colorado (0.19 per 1,000 boys), followed by Connecticut and Pennsylvania.