MEANING & CONTEXT
What does Jacob mean?
Jacob comes from the Hebrew name Yaakov. Its traditional biblical explanation connects the name with the heel. The account of his birth beside his twin Esau gives that interpretation a specific story.
Spellings in Indian scripts
Devanagari
याकूब
Conventional spelling
HISTORICAL VOTER RECORDS
Jacob in Indian usage
18,228 historical electoral-roll records, chiefly adults, rather than current baby-name rankings.
The available aggregate sex counts are withheld or incomplete.
By birth decade
| Birth decade | Records |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 2,119 |
| 1950s | 4,375 |
| 1960s | 4,390 |
| 1970s | 2,888 |
| 1980s | 2,121 |
| 1990s | 1,556 |
| Other decades | 779 |
By state or territory
| State / territory | Records |
|---|---|
| Kerala | 16,154 |
| Mizoram | 484 |
| Manipur | 386 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 372 |
| Nagaland | 245 |
| Delhi | 163 |
| Meghalaya | 130 |
| Goa | 110 |
| Other states | 184 |
How to read these numbers
Small counts and a second count where needed are withheld for privacy; an omitted value is not zero. Coverage, dates and suppression.
Recorded abroad
Official births registered in 2025, for the exact spelling shown.
| Jurisdiction | Spelling / recorded sex | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | Jacob / M | 1,258 | 41 |
| Scotland | Jacob / M | 98 | 45 |
ONS and National Records of Scotland; Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3. Counts follow each office’s publication rules.
Explore related lists
Sources
- Given-name entry (Wikidata): Jacob ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Given-name spelling
- Historical Indian voter-record totals, v3 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Historical usage; CC0 1.0; birth years 1910–2001
- England & Wales 2025 birth statistics: Exact spelling Jacob; Table_6, C46 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Exact spelling Jacob; Table_6, C46
- Scotland 2025 birth statistics: Exact spelling Jacob; full-list-1974-2025.csv; 2025 Boy ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Exact spelling Jacob; full-list-1974-2025.csv; 2025 Boy