Given name & surname
Yakov
“heel grabber”·“supplanter”
Yakov is a modern Hebrew form also used for the Russian form of the biblical name Jacob. It shares that name family’s traditional “heel grabber” and “supplanter” interpretations.
Meaning & origin
What it means
The traditional family interpretations are “heel grabber” and “supplanter”—someone who takes another’s place. They arise from the biblical story of Jacob and Esau; the deeper linguistic origin remains debated.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Yakov belongs to the Hebrew name family of Jacob and is also the form used in Russian. Yaakov is another spelling in Jewish naming use.
How it developed
Yakov belongs to the same Hebrew name family as Yaakov and Jacob. Its traditional connection with akev, “heel,” comes from Genesis 25:26, where Jacob holds Esau’s heel at birth. Genesis 27:36 develops the “supplanter” interpretation through Esau’s complaint about losing his birthright and their father’s blessing.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
The biblical background of Yakov’s name family centers on Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the father of twelve sons associated with the twelve tribes of Israel.
Explained through its name family
Yakov through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,353
- 3,353 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 172 babies
- 2025
- 153
- #1,286 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +19%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 153 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,286 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (126). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,358 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.
Yakov’s family of names
Yakov has an affectionate form in Yasha. Yakov shares a linguistic root with Jacob. Yakov has a related form in Yaakov.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 45
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Jamesequivalent
- Santiagoequivalent
- Jacobcognate
- Thiagoequivalent
- Diegoequivalent
- Jamieequivalent
- Jaimeequivalent
- Seamusequivalent
Show 37 moreShow fewer
- Jakobequivalent
- Jacquesequivalent
- Jacoboequivalent
- Giacomoequivalent
- Jimequivalent
- Jakubequivalent
- Yakubequivalent
- Jacobusequivalent
- Jakovequivalent
- Yaacovequivalent
- Jacoequivalent
- Yacobequivalent
- Jacopoequivalent
- Jakabequivalent
- Jiminyequivalent
- Jockelequivalent
- Yakauequivalent
- Iacobequivalent
- Séamusequivalent
- Jaccoequivalent
- Iacopoequivalent
- Иаковequivalent
- Yakivequivalent
- Jaumeequivalent
- יעקבequivalent
- Jakezequivalent
- Jokūbasequivalent
- Яківequivalent
- يعقوبequivalent
- Iakovequivalent
- Jaakkoequivalent
- Jacóequivalent
- Yakupequivalent
- Яковequivalent
- Якаўequivalent
- Iacobusequivalent
- Yakovafeminine form
People named Yakov
- Yakov ZeldovichSoviet physicist, physical chemist and cosmologist (1914-1987)
- Yakov SverdlovSoviet politician1885–1919
- Yakov Dzhugashvilifirst child of Josef Stalin (1907–1943)
- Yakov SinaiRussian-American mathematicianborn 1935
- Yakov ProtazanovRussian film director and screenwriter (1881–1945)
- Yakov PerelmanRussian science writer (1882–1942)
- Yakov PavlovHero of the Soviet Union (1917-1981)
- Kobi MarimiIsraeli singer; Israel representative to Eurovision 2019born 1991
- Yakov YurovskyChief executioner of Tsar Nicholas II (1878–1938)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Yakov, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Enoc
“experienced” · “one who is dedicated to God”
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“fruitful” · “one who is fertile; productive”
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Asa
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89% boys · 11% girls
Eleazar
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Enock
“experienced” · “one who is dedicated to God”
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Ismael
“God will listen”
>99% boys
Ezequiel
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>99% boys
Ibrahim
“father of a multitude; father of nations” · “father of a multitude (of nations)”
>99% boys