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Jacob (name)

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Jacob
Isaac Blessing Jacob, Govert Flinck, 1638. The name Jacob comes from the Biblical story of Jacob's birth where he came out holding the heel of his twin broth Esau.
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈdʒeɪkəb/
GenderMale
Origin
Word/namederived from Late Latin Iacobus, from Greek Iakobos, from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿqob, Yaʿaqov, Yaʿăqōḇ)
Meaning"Heel Grabber"

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2009, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James. Jacob is derived from Late Latin Iacobus, from Greek Iakobos, from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿqob, Yaʿaqov, Yaʿăqōḇ), the name of the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob son of Isaac. It is a speaking name, referring to the circumstances of Jacob's birth, meaning "heel grabber" (from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb "heel"; literally, it is a finite verb formed from this root, and would translate to something like "he heeled"), since he held on to the heel of his twin brother Esau inside Rebekah's womb. In a Christian context, the name Jacob - as James in English - is also associated with the apostles James, son of Zebedee who was the object of great veneration in the European Middle Ages, notably at Santiago de Compostela; James the Just, brother of Jesus, who led the original Christian community in Jerusalem; and James, son of Alphaeus.

Nicknames

  • Jake
  • Jakey
  • Coby
  • Koby
  • Jac
  • Jak
  • Jack
  • Jackie
  • Jacky
  • Jocko

Variants

Jacob
Jacó (orthographic variation of the former)
Iago (from the Latin pronunciation of Jacob-)
Santiago (from Santo Iago, "Saint James")
Tiago (a reduction of Santiago, now the most common version; saints named "James" in English are São Tiago in Portuguese)
Thiago (less common orthographic variation and Brazilian version)
Diogo (from a Spanish version of the name)
Jaime (apparently from the English version James)
Jácomo (from Italian Giacomo)
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