Male name
Jacob
95,012 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2012. Expression number: 4.
Origin
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 verb "to heel" (with various meanings), in turn from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel of the foot”). Doublet of James, Yaakov, and Yakub.From Wiktionary, entry “Jacob”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2012: 5,286 births. 95,012 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. At its peak, it ranked 4th among boys' names in 2013. It is still given: 8,608 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1998: 36,091 births. 990,532 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among boys' names in 1999. It is still given: 35,902 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 2016: 195 births. 2,916 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 2010s and 2020s. At its peak, it ranked 37th among boys' names in 2016. It really came into use around 2000. It is still given: 548 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 15,751 | 1980–2025 | 4th in 2015 |
| France | 4,005 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 1,089 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Austria | 841 | 1984–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 819* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Berlin | 463 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Belgium | 126 | 2014–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Statbel, first names of newborns, CC BY 4.0 (one total for the whole period, no yearly breakdown).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
4
work, structure, stability
1 + 1 + 3 + 6 + 2 = 13 → 4
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
7
reflection, inner life, seeking
1 + 6 = 7
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
1 + 3 + 2 = 6
- Digits missing from the name
- 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.