Given name
Yaakov
“He who supplants”·“heel grabber”
Yaakov is a Hebrew form of the biblical name Jacob, traditionally associated with “he who supplants.” The same name family also carries the vivid interpretation “heel grabber.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
“He who supplants” is a traditional interpretation of Yaakov. The related “heel grabber” explanation comes from Jacob’s birth story. Both are biblical interpretations, while the original linguistic derivation remains debated.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
Yaakov belongs to Hebrew and Jewish naming traditions and is a spelling related to Yakov and Jacob.
How it developed
The traditional explanation connects the Hebrew name with akev, “heel.” In Genesis 25:26, Jacob is born holding his twin Esau’s heel; in Genesis 27:36, Esau links the name with being supplanted after Jacob receives his birthright and their father’s blessing.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Yaakov’s biblical name-family background includes the patriarch Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebecca and father of twelve sons associated with the twelve tribes of Israel.
Explained through its name family
Yaakov through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,991
- 5,991 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 237 babies
- 2025
- 218
- #1,025 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +29%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 218 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,025 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New Jersey had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (113). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,229 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Yaakov’s family of names
In English usage, Yaakov shares an earlier linguistic root with Jacob. Yaakov has a related form in Yakov. Yaakov is a form of Jacob.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Yakovvariant
- Yacoubvariant
- Yagovariant
- Yakoubvariant
- Yakobvariant
- Yacovvariant
- Yaachovvariant
- Yaacouvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Yaakov
- Jonathan Sacks, Baron SacksBritish rabbi (1948–2020), Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth (1991-2013) and Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal (2009-2020)
- Yaakov DoriIsraeli military officer (1899-1973)
- Yaakov LitzmanIsraeli politicianborn 1948
- Yaakov NeemanIsraeli politician (1939-2017)
- Kobi Shabtaiformer commander of Israel Policeborn 1964
- Yaakov PeriIsraeli politicianborn 1944
- Yaakov EdriIsraeli politician1950–2026
- Yaakov Kedmiformer Israeli politicianborn 1947
- Ya'akov Yosefrabbi and Israeli politician (1946–2013)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Yaakov, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Asa
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89% boys · 11% girls
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Axel
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Boaz
“swiftness” · “one who is swift”
>99% boys