Jacob (name)


Jacob is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin. The English form is derived from the Latin Iacobus, from the Greek Ἰάκωβος, ultimately from the Hebrew , the name of Jacob, biblical patriarch of the Israelites, and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵב ʿakeb. The prefix "ya-" and the internal vowel "-o-" typically indicate a masculine third-person singular imperfective form in Hebrew, suggesting meanings like "he will", "he may", or "he shall". It can also be taken to mean "may God protect" or "may he protect" as Hebrew grammar does not specify whether the name bearer is the subject or the object, making the interpretation open-ended.
In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau.
The name is etymologized in Genesis 27:36, adding the
significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.
In a Christian context, Jacob – James in English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: the apostle James, son of Zebedee, another apostle, James, son of Alphaeus, and James the brother of Jesus, who led the original Nazarene Community in Jerusalem. There are several Jacobs in the genealogy of Jesus.

Modern usage

From 1999 through 2012, Jacob was the most popular baby name for boys in the United States.
In 2022, it was the 12th most popular name given to boys in Canada.

Variants

  • Afrikaans – Jakob, Jakobus, Jacobus, Koos, Kobus, Cobus
  • Albanian – Jakob, Jakop, Jakov, Jakub, Jakup, Jak, Jakë, Jako, Jaku, Jake
  • Arabic – Yaʿqūb, Yakub ; see also Jacob in Islam
  • Aragonese – Chacobo, Chaime
  • Armenian – Յակոբ, Հակոբ
  • Azerbaijani – Yaqub/Yağub, Yaqubalı/Yağubalı, Yaqubəli/Yaqubəli, Yaqubxan/Yağubəli
  • Basque – Jakobi, Jagoba
  • Belarusian – Якуб, Якаў
  • Bengali – জ্যাকব, ইয়াকুব
  • Breton – Jakob, Jakez
  • Bulgarian – Яков
  • Catalan – Jaume, Dídac
  • Cebuano – Hakob
  • Chichewa – Yakobo
  • Chinese – 雅各
  • Cornish – Jago, Jammes, Jamma
  • Corsican – Ghjacumu
  • Croatian – Jakob, Jakov
  • Czech – Jakub
  • Danish – Jakob, Jep, Jeppe, Ib
  • Dutch – Jaak, Jaap, Jakob, Jacobus, Jacco, Jaco, Sjaak, Kobus, Koos
  • English – Jakob, Jack, Jake, Jay, Jaycob, Jakeb, Jacoby; see also James
  • Esperanto – Jakobo
  • Estonian – Jaak, Jaagup, Jakob
  • Ethiopia – Yacob, Yacob, Yakob
  • Faroese – Jákup, Jakku
  • Fijian – Jekope, Kope
  • Finnish – Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jaakko
  • French – Jacques, Jack, Jacob, Jayme, Jaume, Jacqueline
  • Frisian – Japik
  • Galician – Xacobe, Santiago, Iago, Xaime
  • Georgian – იაკობ, კობა
  • German – Jakob
  • Greek – Iákovos, Iakóv, Yángos
  • Gujarati – જેકબ
  • Haitian Creole – Jakòb
  • Hausa – Yakubu
  • Hawaiian – Iakopo
  • Hebrew –Ya'akov, Koby, Ya'akova
  • Hindi – याकूब
  • Hmong – Yakhauj
  • Hungarian – Jakab, Jákob
  • Icelandic – Jakob, Jakop
  • Igbo – Jekọb
  • Indonesian – Yakub, Jacob, Yacob
  • Irish – Iácóib, Séamas, Séamus, Sésamo, Sesame, Shéamais, Siacus
  • Italian – Giacomo, Iacopo, Jacopo, Giacobbe, Giacco
  • Japanese – Yakobu
  • Javanese – Yakub
  • Kannada – ಜಾಕೋಬ್
  • Kashmiri - یعقوب
  • Kazakh – Жақып
  • Khmer – លោកយ៉ាកុប
  • Korean – Yagop
  • Kyrgyz – Жакып
  • Lao – ຢາໂຄບ
  • Latin – Iacobus
  • Latvian – Jēkabs
  • Lithuanian – Jokūbas
  • Macedonian – Јаков
  • Malayalam – ചാക്കോ, യാക്കോബ്
  • Maltese – Ġakbu, Ġakobb
  • Māori – Hākopa, Hakopa
  • Marathi – याकोब
  • Malay – Akob, Yakub, Yaakub
  • Mongolian – Иаков
  • Montenegrin – Jakov, Jakša
  • Myanmar – yarkote sai
  • Nepali – याकूबले
  • Norwegian – Jakob
  • Pampangan – Hakub
  • Persian – Yaqub, Yaghoub
  • Polish – Jakub, Kuba, Jakubina and Żaklina
  • Portuguese – Jacó, Iago, Tiago, Thiago, Diogo, Jácomo, Jaime
  • Punjabi – ਯਾਕੂਬ ਨੇ
  • Romanian – Iacob, Iacov
  • Romansh: Giacun, Giachen
  • Russian – Иаков , Яков, Яша
  • Samoan – Iakopo
  • Scots – Hamish, Jamie
  • Scottish Gaelic – Iàcob, Seumas
  • Serbo-Croatian – Jakov, Jakob, Jakub, Jakup, Jakša
  • Sesotho – Jakobo
  • Sinhala – ජාකොබ්, යාකොබ්
  • Slovak – Jakub
  • Slovenian – Jakob , Jaka
  • Somali – Yacquub
  • Sorbian – Jakub
  • Spanish – Jacobo, Yago, Iago, Santiago, Tiago, Diego, Jaime
  • Swahili – Yakobo
  • Swedish – Jakob
  • Sylheti – য়াকুব
  • Syriac – ܝܥܩܘܒ, also
  • Tagalog – Hakob
  • Tajik – Яъқуб
  • Tamil – யாக்கோபு
  • Telugu – యాకోబు
  • Thai – เจคอบ Ce khxb, pronounced "Ja-khawb"
  • Tigrinya – ያእቆብ, ያዕቆብ
  • Turkish – Yakup
  • Ukrainian – Yakiv
  • Urdu – یعقوب
  • Uzbek – Yoqub, Yakob, Ya'qub
  • Vietnamese – Giacôbê, Giacóp
  • Welsh – Siam, Jac, Iago
  • Xitsonga – Yakobo
  • Yiddish – Yankev, Yankl, Yankel, Yankele, Kopl
  • Yoruba – Jakọbù
  • Zulu – Jakobe

    People with the name

  • Patriarch Jacob of Alexandria, Greek Patriarch of Alexandria 1861–1865
  • Saint Jakov, Archbishop of Serbs 1286–1292
  • Saint Jacob of Alaska, missionary of the Orthodox Church
  • Saint Jacob of Nisibis, Bishop of Nisibis
  • Jacob