boys' name ★ peaked 1998

Jacob

Meaning May He Heel Gender Boy Rank 2025 #43 Trend ↓ Falling 36%

From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from the…

Rank 2025
#43
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
6,152
named Jacob · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 278
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1998
36,091 babies
All-time total
990,532
#29 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jacob popularity over time

990,532 babies have been named Jacob since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
510152018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 3,566 3,566 357 – #39
1890s – 2,551 2,551 255 -28% #65
1900s – 2,191 2,191 219 -14% #89
1910s 15 8,684 8,699 870 +297% #110
1920s 20 9,047 9,067 907 +4% #143
1930s 17 5,264 5,281 528 -42% #212
1940s – 4,853 4,853 485 -8% #235
1950s 5 5,400 5,405 541 +11% #289
1960s 5 5,075 5,080 508 -6% #296
1970s 206 36,351 36,557 3,656 +620% #45
1980s 694 124,254 124,948 12,495 +242% #26
1990s 592 298,415 299,007 29,901 +139% #1
2000s 523 274,077 274,600 27,460 -8% #1
2010s 186 163,321 163,507 16,351 -40% #1
2020s (to 2025) 42 45,178 45,220 7,537 -54% #15

Where Jacob is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 5,707 3.34 #52
2027 5,355 3.14 #57
2028 5,072 2.97 #62
2029 4,844 2.84 #66
2030 4,658 2.73 #70

Where Jacob is most popular

Boys named Jacob per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 4.15 per 1,000. Strongest in Wyoming, New Jersey, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Jacob born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Wyoming 47 8.12 +96%
New Jersey 1,609 7.99 +92%
New York 3,364 7.77 +87%
Rhode Island 126 7.73 +86%
Connecticut 490 7.24 +74%
Delaware 102 6.73 +62%
Alaska 80 6.72 +62%
Vermont 42 6.69 +61%
District of Columbia 98 6.64 +60%
Maryland 788 6.61 +59%
Massachusetts 864 6.28 +51%
New Hampshire 126 5.67 +37%
Florida 2,529 5.34 +29%
Pennsylvania 1,411 5.31 +28%
California 4,793 5.24 +26%
Virginia 990 5.22 +26%
Hawaii 79 5.09 +22%
Nevada 282 4.95 +19%
New Mexico 161 4.89 +18%
South Dakota 88 4.73 +14%
Texas 4,122 4.68 +13%
North Dakota 79 4.63 +11%
Illinois 1,135 4.44 +7%
West Virginia 145 4.44 +7%
North Carolina 1,125 4.41 +6%
South Carolina 454 4.39 +6%
Maine 82 4.23 ≈ national
Kentucky 418 4.17 ≈ national
Washington 657 4.02 ≈ national
Alabama 439 4.02 ≈ national
Mississippi 227 4.00 ≈ national
Arkansas 252 3.98 ≈ national
Georgia 1,006 3.97 ≈ national
Arizona 648 3.96 -5%
Ohio 1,042 3.93 -5%
Indiana 628 3.92 -6%
Louisiana 399 3.90 -6%
Idaho 158 3.86 -7%
Nebraska 167 3.84 -8%
Missouri 529 3.82 -8%
Tennessee 684 3.79 -9%
Kansas 256 3.73 -10%
Michigan 758 3.70 -11%
Colorado 465 3.60 -13%
Oklahoma 313 3.54 -15%
Oregon 266 3.50 -16%
Utah 331 3.47 -16%
Montana 59 3.35 -19%
Wisconsin 383 3.23 -22%
Iowa 215 3.12 -25%
Minnesota 358 2.92 -30%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jacob

Jacob is a top-50 name for boys in the United States, ranked #43 in 2025 with 6,152 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 990,532 American babies have been named Jacob. Its peak came in 1998, when 36,091 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jacob stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jacob?

The median living Jacob is about 25 years old; half are between 17 and 33. An estimated 934 thousand people named Jacob are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jacob year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 6,152 #43
2024 9 #10,612 6,541 #40
2023 6 #14,130 7,015 #35
2022 10 #9,992 7,667 #32
2021 8 #11,537 8,494 #24
2020 9 #10,608 9,309 #15
2019 8 #11,797 10,797 #12
2018 9 #10,907 11,897 #13
2017 16 #7,225 13,269 #9
2016 16 #7,390 14,559 #7
2015 23 #5,730 16,005 #4
2014 13 #8,667 16,923 #4
2013 23 #5,722 18,201 #2
2012 26 #5,309 19,110 #1
2011 23 #5,816 20,403 #1
2010 29 #4,900 22,157 #1
2009 27 #5,280 21,204 #1
2008 29 #5,067 22,621 #1
2007 34 #4,409 24,310 #1
2006 37 #4,030 24,871 #1
2005 40 #3,669 25,851 #1
2004 171 #1,263 27,911 #1
2003 47 #3,150 29,658 #1
2002 41 #3,354 30,586 #1
2001 38 #3,510 32,573 #1
2000 59 #2,551 34,492 #1
1995 66 #2,061 31,134 #4
1990 59 #2,185 22,022 #20
1985 77 #1,567 12,284 #35
1980 52 #2,023 8,520 #43
1975 24 #2,998 3,618 #75
1970 – – 910 #255
1965 – – 487 #347
1960 – – 493 #351
1955 5 #6,208 577 #303
1950 – – 465 #318
1945 – – 417 #293
1940 – – 514 #235
1935 – – 475 #245
1930 7 #3,837 622 #212
1925 – – 901 #166
1920 5 #5,326 1,050 #143
1915 – – 1,122 #121
1910 – – 273 #117
1905 – – 220 #98
1900 – – 233 #101
1895 – – 266 #74
1890 – – 290 #66
1885 – – 343 #53
1880 – – 404 #39

Famous people named Jacob

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jacob Jacob Biblical patriarch, son of Isaac -1653–-1506 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild English peer, investment banker and philanthropist (1936–2024) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jacob Zuma Jacob Zuma President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018 b. 1942 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Jacob Frank Jacob Frank Polish-Jewish religious leader (1726–1790) 18th century
  5. 5 Jacob Grimm Jacob Grimm German linguist, jurist and mythologist 1785–1863 · 18th century
  6. 6 Jacob Schiff Jacob Schiff American businessman and banker 1847–1920 · 19th century
  7. 7 Jacob Bernoulli Jacob Bernoulli Swiss mathematician (1655–1705) 1654–1705 · 17th century
  8. 8 Jacob Burckhardt Jacob Burckhardt Swiss historian (1818–1897) 19th century
  9. 9 Jacob Jordaens Jacob Jordaens Flemish painter (1593–1678) 16th century
  10. 10 Jacob van Ruisdael Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch landscape painter and engraver (c. 1629–1682) 1628–1682 · 17th century
  11. 11 Jacob Bekenstein Jacob Bekenstein Mexican-Israeli physicist (1947–2015) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jacob Kettler Jacob Kettler Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1642 to 1682 1610–1682 · 17th century
  13. 13 Jacob Roggeveen Dutch explorer of the Pacific Ocean (1659–1729) 17th century
  14. 14 Jacob De la Gardie Jacob De la Gardie Swedish noble (1583–1652) 16th century
  15. 15 Jacob van Artevelde Jacob van Artevelde Flemish statesman and political leader (d. 1345) 1290–1345 · Medieval
  16. 16 Jacob Baradaeus Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Edessa (c. 500–578) 505–578 · Medieval
  17. 17 Jacob Stainer Austrian luthier (c.1618–1683) 1619–1683 · 17th century
  18. 18 Jacob Cats Jacob Cats Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician (1577–1660) 16th century
  19. 19 Jacob Sprenger Jacob Sprenger Dominican inquisitor and theologian (1436/1438–1495) 1435–1495 · Medieval
  20. 20 Jacob Obrecht Jacob Obrecht Flemish composer 1457–1505 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jacob, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jacob?

The median living Jacob is about 25 years old. Half of all living Jacobs are between 17 and 33 years old.

How many people named Jacob are alive today?

An estimated 934 thousand people named Jacob are alive in the United States, based on 990,532 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jacob mean?

From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from the third-person singular masculine imperfective form of the Semitic…

How popular is the name Jacob in 2025?

Jacob ranked #43 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 6,152 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jacob?

990,532 babies have been named Jacob in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jacob most popular?

Jacob peaked in 1998, when 36,091 newborns received the name.

Is Jacob a boy or girl name?

Jacob is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jacob rising or falling?

Jacob is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jacob become more popular?

Jacob is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 4,658 boys named Jacob in 2030, which would rank around #70. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jacob?

Well-known people named Jacob include Jacob (religious figure), Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild (politician), Jacob Zuma (politician).

Names like Jacob

Names that sound and feel close to Jacob: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jacob with similar names → More names starting with J →