Jakob

Meaning: Supplanter, holder of the heel
Origin: Hebrew — German and Scandinavian form of Jacob

Boy's name · #1372 in the US (2025) · 2000s wave

Popularity over time

Jakob's best rank, #172, came in 2001; it has stepped well back to #1372 today. Roughly 32,000 boys have been named Jakob since 1957.

Across the states

See where Jakob is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 20 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

Jakob is especially popular in Slovenia, Austria, and Norway.

#4 in Slovenia (2025) · #5 in Austria (2025) · #9 in Norway (2025) · #132 in Sweden (2025) · #202 in Switzerland (2025) · #313 in Italy (2024) · #526 in Poland (2025) · #713 in Canada (2025) · #738 in Netherlands (2025) · #762 in Scotland (2025) · #799 in Belgium (2025) · #1,124 in England & Wales (2025) and 8 more.

Famous Jakobs

Jakob Böhme — German philosopher (1575–1624)
Jakob Roggeveen — Dutch explorer of the Pacific Ocean (1659–1729)
Jakob Wassermann — German writer (1873–1934)
Jakob Steiner — Swiss mathematician (1796–1863)
Jakob Asserson Ingebrigtsen — Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner (born 2000)
Jakob Fugger — German merchant, mining entrepreneur and banker (1459–1525)
Jakob Poulsen — Danish footballer (born 1983)
Jakob Fuglsang — Danish road racing cyclist (born 1985)
Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz — German playwright (1751–1792)
Jakob Jantscher — Austrian footballer (born 1989)

In stories & tradition

Jakob Maria Mierscheid — Apocryphal biographical entry
Jakob Hyrnek^it — Bartimaeus Sequence (novel series)

What Jakobs become

Among 3,805 notable people named Jakob:

Business leaders appear 2.6× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jakob Fugger, German merchant, mining entrepreneur and banker (1459–1525).

Spellings & nicknames

Jakob is a rare spelling of Jacob — about 2% of babies given the name are written this way; Jacob itself ranked #43 in 2025.

Similar names: Jacoby · Nikolas · Jaquan · Markus · Jadon · Johan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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