Hebrew Ya'aqov, from aqev, "heel" — supplanter; holder of the heel. Born gripping his twin's heel, he later wrestled an angel and was renamed Israel.
Jacob ranks 43rd among American boys in 2025, with 6,152 born that year. Its best year was 1998, when 36,091 babies were given the name, ranking 2nd. The typical living American called Jacob is about 26 years old today. It is relatively most common in Wyoming, where it accounts for 0.74% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.