Jacob (name)

Jacob
	Isaac Blessing Jacob, 1638 Govert Flinck painting.
Pronunciation	/ˈdʒeɪkəb/
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Derived from Late Latin Jacobus, from Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב‎ (Yaʿakov)
Meaning	"He may/will/shall follow/heed/seize-by-the-heel/watch/guard/protect", "Supplanter/Assailant", "May God protect" or "May he protect"
Region of origin	Israel
Other names
Variant form(s)	Jakob, Jakeb, Jaycob
Short form(s)	Jack, Jake, Jay, Jakey, Coby, Jem
Related names	James, Jakob, Jakov, Jakub, Ya'koub, Yakub, Yakup, Ya'qoub, Kafka, Cobie, Tiago, Santiago, Jacobo, Jaime, Jamie, Jim, Jacques

Jacob is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin. The English form is derived from the Latin Iacobus, from the Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), ultimately from the Hebrew יַעֲקֹב‎ (Yaʿaqōḇ), the name of Jacob, biblical patriarch of the Israelites, and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵב ʿaqeb. The prefix “ya-” and the internal vowel “-o-” typically indicate a masculine third-person singular imperfective form in Hebrew,^[2]^[3] suggesting meanings like “he will”, “he may”, or “he shall”. It can also be taken to mean "may God protect" or "may he protect" as Hebrew grammar does not specify whether the name bearer ("he") is the subject (the one who acts) or the object (the one who is acted upon), making the interpretation open-ended."^[4]^[5]

In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau (Genesis 25:26). The name is etymologized (in a direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.^[6]

In a Christian context, Jacob – James in English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: (1) the apostle James, son of Zebedee, (2) another apostle, James, son of Alphaeus, and (3) James the brother of Jesus (James the Just), who led the original Nazarene Community in Jerusalem. There are several Jacobs in the genealogy of Jesus.

Modern usage

From 1999 through 2012, Jacob was the most popular baby name for boys in the United States.^[7]

In 2022, it was the 12th most popular name given to boys in Canada.^[8]

Variants

Afrikaans – Jakob, Jakobus, Jacobus, Koos, Kobus, Cobus
Albanian – Jakob, Jakop, Jakov, Jakub, Jakup, Jak, Jakë, Jako, Jaku, Jake
Arabic – Yaʿqūb, Yakub (يعقوب); see also Jacob in Islam
Aragonese – Chacobo, Chaime
Armenian – Յակոբ (Classical Armenian orthography), Հակոբ (Reformed Armenian orthography) (Hakob, Hagop)
Azerbaijani – Yaqub, Yaqubun, Ceykob
Basque – Jakobi, Jagoba
Belarusian – Якуб, Якаў (Jakub, Jakaŭ)
Bengali – জ্যাকব (Jækôb), ইয়াকুব (Yaqub)
Breton – Jakob, Jakez
Bulgarian – Яков (Yakov)
Catalan – Jaume, Dídac
Cebuano – Hakob
Chichewa – Yakobo
Chinese – 雅各 (Yǎgè)
Cornish – Jago, Jammes, Jamma
Corsican – Ghjacumu
Croatian – Jakob, Jakov
Czech – Jakub
Danish – Jakob, Jep, Jeppe, Ib
Dutch – Jaak, Jaap, Jakob, Jacobus, Jacco, Jaco, Sjaak, Kobus, Koos
English – Jakob, Jack, Jake, Jay, Jaycob, Jacoby; see also James
Esperanto – Jakobo
Estonian – Jaak, Jaagup, Jakob
Ethiopia – Yacob, Yacob, Yakob
Faroese – Jákup, Jakku
Fijian – Jekope, Kope
Finnish – Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jaakko
French – Jacques, Jack, Jacob, Jayme, Jaume, Jacqueline (fem.)
Frisian – Japik
Galician – Xacobe, Santiago, Iago, Xaime
Georgian – იაკობ (Iakob), კობა (Koba)
German – Jakob
Greek – Iákovos (Ιάκωβος), Iakóv (Ιακώβ), Yángos (Γιάγκος)
Gujarati – જેકબ (Jēkab)
Haitian Creole – Jakòb
Hausa – Yakubu
Hawaiian – Iakopo
Hebrew –Ya'akov (יעקב), Koby, Ya'akova (female)
Hindi – याकूब (Yākūb)
Hmong – Yakhauj
Hungarian – Jakab, Jákob
Icelandic – Jakob, Jakop
Igbo – Jekọb
Indonesian – Yakub, Jacob, Yacob
Irish – Iácóib, Séamas, Séamus, Sésamo, Sesame, Shéamais, Siacus
Italian – Giacomo, Iacopo, Jacopo, Giacobbe, Giacco
Japanese – Yakobu (ヤコブ)
Javanese – Yakub
Kannada – ಜಾಕೋಬ್ (Jākōb)
Kashmiri - یعقوب (Yākūb, Yạ̄kūb)
Kazakh – Жақып (Zhaqyp, Zhakip)
Khmer – លោកយ៉ាកុប (lok yeakob)
Korean – Yagop (야곱)
Kyrgyz – Жакып (Dzhakyp)
Lao – ຢາໂຄບ (ya okhb)
Latin – Iacobus
Latvian – Jēkabs
Lithuanian – Jokūbas
Macedonian – Јаков
Malayalam – ചാക്കോ (Chacko), യാക്കോബ് (Yakob)
Maltese – Ġakbu, Ġakobb
Māori – Hakopa
Marathi – याकोब (Yākōba)
Malay – Akob, Yakub, Yaakub
Mongolian – Иаков (Iakov)
Montenegrin – Jakov, Jakša
Myanmar – yarkote sai
Nepali – याकूबले (Yākūbalē)
Norwegian – Jakob
Pampangan – Hakub
Persian – Yaqub, Yaghoub (یعقوب)
Polish – Jakub, Kuba (diminutive), Jakubina and Żaklina (fem.)
Portuguese – Jacó, Iago, Tiago, Thiago, Diogo, Jácomo, Jaime
Punjabi – ਯਾਕੂਬ ਨੇ (Yākūba nē)
Romanian – Iacob, Iacov
Romansh: Giacun, Giachen
Russian – Иаков (Iakov) (archaic O.T. form), Яков (Yakov, Iakov), Яша (Yasha, Jascha) (diminutive)
Samoan – Iakopo
Scots – Hamish, Jamie
Scottish Gaelic – Iàcob, Seumas
Serbo-Croatian – Jakov (Јаков), Jakob (Јакоб), Jakub (Јакуб), Jakup (Јакуп), Jakša (Јакша)
Sesotho – Jakobo
Sinhala – ජාකොබ් (Jakob), යාකොබ් (Yakob)
Slovak – Jakub (short form: Kubo)
Slovenian – Jakob [ja:kop], Jaka
Somali – Yacquub
Sorbian – Jakub
Spanish – Jacobo, Yago, Iago, Santiago, Tiago, Diego, Jaime
Swahili – Yakobo
Swedish – Jakob
Sylheti – য়াকুব (Yakub)
Syriac – ܝܥܩܘܒ (Yaʿqub), also (Yaqo, Yaqko)
Tagalog – Hakob
Tajik – Яъқуб (Ja'quʙ)
Tamil – யாக்கோபு (Yākkōpu)
Telugu – యాకోబు (Yākôbu)
Thai – เจคอบ Ce khxb, pronounced "Ja-khawb"
Tigrinya – ያእቆብ, ያዕቆብ (Ya‘ik’obi)
Turkish – Yakup
Ukrainian – Yakiv (Яків)
Urdu – یعقوب (Ya'kub)
Uzbek – Yoqub, Yakob, Ya'qub
Vietnamese – Giacôbê, Giacóp
Welsh – Siam, Jac, Iago
Xitsonga – Yakobo
Yiddish – Yankev, Yankl, Yankel, Yankele, Kopl
Yoruba – Jakọbù
Zulu – Jakobe

People with the name

Patriarch Jacob of Alexandria (1803–1865), Greek Patriarch of Alexandria 1861–1865
Saint Jakov, Archbishop of Serbs 1286–1292
Saint Jacob of Alaska, missionary of the Orthodox Church
Saint Jacob of Nisibis, Bishop of Nisibis
Jacob (Book of Mormon prophet)
All pages with titles beginning with Jacob of
All pages with titles beginning with Jacob the

References

^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Jacob". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
^ https://www.pealim.com/dict/1544-laakov/
^ https://www.calvary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/THE-STRUCTURE-OF-THE-HEBREW-LANGUAGE_Chapter-Ten.pdf
^ Jonathan Z. Smith, Map is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions, University of Chicago Press (1978), p. 33.
^ "Meaning, origin, and history of the name Jacob". Behind the Name.
^ "And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me (יַּעְקְבֵנִי) these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing" (KJV)
^ U.S. Social Security Administration – Popular Baby Names
^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-25.

[1] Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Jacob". Retrieved 13 February 2017.

[2] ttps://www.pealim.com/dict/1544-laakov/

[3] ttps://www.calvary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/THE-STRUCTURE-OF-THE-HEBREW-LANGUAGE_Chapter-Ten.pdf

[4] Jonathan Z. Smith, Map is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions, University of Chicago Press (1978), p. 33.

[5] "Meaning, origin, and history of the name Jacob". Behind the Name.

[6] "And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me (יַּעְקְבֵנִי) these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing" (KJV)

[7] U.S. Social Security Administration – Popular Baby Names

[8] "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-25.

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Modern usage

Variants

People with the name

See also

References