Given name & surname
Jakob
“heel grabber”·“supplanter”·“he who supplants”
In Dutch use, Jakob has a related form in Jacob. Traditional interpretations include “heel grabber” and “supplanter”—someone who takes another’s place. Both come from the biblical narrative, while the name’s original linguistic derivation remains debated. In German use, Jakob is a variant of Yankel. In Hebrew use, Yankel carries the interpretation “he who supplants.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Dutch use, Jakob has a related form in Jacob. Traditional interpretations include “heel grabber” and “supplanter”—someone who takes another’s place. Both come from the biblical narrative, while the name’s original linguistic derivation remains debated. In German use, Jakob is a variant of Yankel. In Hebrew use, Yankel carries the interpretation “he who supplants.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Dutch use, Jakob has a related form in Jacob. Jacob is the English and Dutch form of the Hebrew Yaakov. James belongs to the same older name family, despite looking quite different in English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Jakob developed from IACOBUS. In German usage, Jakob is a short form of JAKOBUS. In Dutch use, Jakob has a related form in Jacob. The shared background comes through Jacob: The link with Hebrew akev, “heel,” comes from Genesis 25:26: Jacob is born holding his older twin Esau’s heel. In Genesis 27:36, Esau connects the name with being supplanted after Jacob gains his birthright and their father’s blessing. These episodes explain the traditional meanings; they do not settle how the name first arose.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Dutch use, Jakob has a related form in Jacob. The history of Jacob gives this family its wider story. In Genesis, Jacob is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the father of twelve sons associated with the twelve tribes of Israel. His name has a long history in Jewish and Christian communities. The related name James developed through a different Late Latin form, Iacomus, eventually becoming distinct from Jacob in English.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jakob through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 31,959
- 31,959 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 2,192 babies
- 2025
- 135
- #1,372 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −43%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 135 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,372 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 42.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,192 in 2001. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 27,371 as a first name in 2020; 886 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jakob’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Jakob has a diminutive in JACKE. Jakob shares a linguistic root with Jacob. In German usage, Jakob has a conventional equivalent in the English form James.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jakob has relatives in 25 languages.
50 related names in 25 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 28
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Jacobvariant · Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål
- Jacobyvariant · German
- Jakobivariant · German
- Jacobivariant · German
- Jakobyvariant · German
- Yankelvariant · German
- Jacobusvariant · German, Dutch
- Jakkoblikely variant
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Jackediminutive · Swedish
- Jacobsvariant · German
- Jackobvariant · German
- Jakobblikely variant
- Schakohvariant · hrx
- Jaagupvariant · Estonian
- Sjaakvariant · Dutch
- Jaakshort form · Estonian
- Kobbidiminutive · Icelandic
- Yankelevariant · German
- Jakyvariant · German
- Jäckleshort form · German
- Jaekleshort form · German
- Jäkleshort form · German
- Koppelpet form
- Jakobusvariant · Dutch, German
- Jakubusvariant · German
- Jakobsvariant · German
- Jackobyvariant · German
- Jacobiusvariant · German
Across languages 51
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- JamesEnglish
- JackEnglish
- SantiagoSpanish
- Diegoequivalent
- JaimeSpanish
- Yakovequivalent
- JacquesFrench
- JacoboSpanish
Show 43 moreShow fewer
- GiacomoItalian
- Jimequivalent
- Jakubcognate · Upper Sorbian, Czech
- JacqueFrench
- Yakubequivalent
- Jakabequivalent
- JacopoItalian
- Jepsenpatronymic from · Danish
- Jakovequivalent
- Yaacovequivalent
- Jacoequivalent
- Yacobequivalent
- KubaPolish
- Jakezequivalent
- Jaakobequivalent
- Jokūbasequivalent
- يعقوبequivalent
- Jaakkoequivalent
- Yakupequivalent
- Jakupdoublet
- Jakobsen“son of” surname · Danish
- JacóPortuguese
- YoqubUzbek
- YakubuHausa
- Jiminyequivalent
- Chaimeequivalent
- Jockelequivalent
- Iakobaequivalent
- Iacobequivalent
- Séamusequivalent
- Jaccoequivalent
- Iacopoequivalent
- Jaumeequivalent
- Yakivequivalent
- Jákupcognate · Faroese
- Ἰακώβroot · Ancient Greek
- Iacobusroot · Latin
- ЯківUkrainian
- ЯковRussian
- ИаковRussian
- יעקבHebrew
- JeppeDanish
- ՀակոպArmenian
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Jakob
- Felix MendelssohnGerman composer, pianist, organist and conductor of Jewish descent (1809-1847)
- Jacob BernoulliSwiss mathematician (1655-1705)1654–1705
- Jakob BöhmeGerman Christian mystic and theologian (1575-1624)
- Jakob WassermannGerman writer (1873-1934)
- Jakob SteinerSwiss mathematician (1796-1863)
- Jakob IngebrigtsenNorwegian middle- and long-distance runnerborn 2000
- Köbi KuhnSwiss association football player and manager (1943-2019)
- Jakob FuggerGerman merchant (1459-1526)
- Anund JacobKing of Sweden from 1022 until 1050 (1008-1050)
Characters named Jakob: Jacob (fictional character of the TV series Lost), Jakob Maria Mierscheid (fictitious German politician, member of the Bundestag).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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