Jacob
Say it: JAY-kub/ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/
BoyMeans usually linked with the Hebrew for "heel"5 letters2 syllables
#62
in Ireland (2025)
#64 with spellings combined
88
babies in 2025
#37
best rank (2016)
2,916
babies since 1980
Down 15
10-year rank change
Jacob through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88 | #64 |
| 2024 | 89 | #67 |
| 2023 | 103 | #62 |
| 2022 | 131 | #51 |
| 2021 | 137 | #52 |
| 2020 | 151 | #38 |
| 2019 | 163 | #39 |
| 2018 | 180 | #41 |
| 2017 | 175 | #41 |
| 2016 | 195 | #37 |
| 2015 | 159 | #49 |
| 2014 | 170 | #49 |
| 2013 | 158 | #53 |
| 2012 | 140 | #64 |
| 2011 | 131 | #64 |
| 2010 | 100 | #75 |
| 2009 | 69 | #111 |
| 2008 | 71 | #110 |
| 2007 | 75 | #94 |
| 2006 | 54 | #113 |
| 2005 | 51 | #109 |
| 2004 | 36 | #134 |
| 2003 | 42 | #115 |
| 2002 | 37 | #123 |
| 2001 | 37 | #120 |
| 2000 | 39 | #116 |
| 1999 | 19 | #161 |
| 1998 | 17 | #158 |
| 1997 | 16 | #184 |
| 1996 | 14 | #192 |
| 1995 | 12 | #198 |
| 1994 | 15 | #167 |
| 1993 | 13 | #190 |
| 1992 | 6 | #251 |
| 1991 | 7 | #230 |
| 1990 | 4 | #286 |
| 1989 | 3 | #307 |
| 1987 | 3 | #303 |
| 1981 | 3 | #322 |
| 1980 | 3 | #321 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Jacob mean?
Usually linked with the Hebrew for "heel"
Hebrew, from Yaakov, the name of the patriarch Jacob in the Bible, through Greek and Latin.
Say it right
JAYkub
The story of Jacob
Jacob is the English form of the Hebrew Yaakov, which reached English through Greek and Latin. In the Bible Jacob is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the twin brother of Esau. His twelve sons are counted as the ancestors of the tribes of Israel.
The name is usually linked with the Hebrew word for “heel”, and in Genesis Jacob is born holding on to his brother’s heel. Other readings take it from a root meaning “to follow” or explain it as “may God protect”. James is a later form of the same name, which is why the two are so closely related.
In Ireland Jacob first reached the CSO list in 1980. It climbed through the 2000s and peaked in 2016 with 195 boys, when it reached number 37. It has been even more popular in Northern Ireland, where it was 5th in 2017.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Jacob (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Jacob (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
Jake
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob | 88 | 2,916 |
In Northern Ireland
#27 in 2025 with 61 babies. Best rank #5 (2017); 2,517 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.