Jacob

Did you know?

A few things about Jacob you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Jacob

Jacob Elordi

Australian actor (born 1997)

Choose Jacob and your child shares a first name with Jacob Elordi, an Australian actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jacob, like who?” Jacob Elordi's Wikipedia article is available in 48 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jacob Elordi on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: JoshPopov, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 278 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Jacob, 6,152 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Jacob.
• 📜HistoryJacob has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jacobs, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2012, when it ranked #1. Today it's #43, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowJacob was 4.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 57 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 278.
• 🍂TrendJacob has slipped 28 places over the last five years and now sits at #43. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedJacob is most popular in New York, where it ranks #9, followed by New Jersey (#15) and Wyoming (#16). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Jacob means “supplanter”. Our records link it to English and Hebrew roots.

About the name Jacob

Jacob is a boy name of English and Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-cob”. US birth records list Jacob for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked #1 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #43, with 6,152 babies.

Origin:English namesHebrew names