Jacob is a popular choice in the UK, ranked #41 in 2025. There's a good chance they'll share their name with at least one classmate throughout school.
Origin & Meaning
Hebrew — Supplanter
⭐
UK Rank 2025
#41
US Rank #43
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About the Name Jacob
Jacob ranked #41 in 2025, down from its peak of #4 in 2013 — still a familiar name, but past its high point. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has spent 30 of the last 30 years inside the UK top 100 — a mark of enduring mainstream appeal.
The name carries Hebrew roots, where it means "Supplanter". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.
Jacob is a very popular name in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Jacob on the register.
It ranks similarly in the US at #43, suggesting broad transatlantic appeal.
⭐ Famous People Named Jacob
Jacob Templeton — Jacob Templeton is an Australian Paralympic swimmer.
Jacob Rees-Mogg — Sir Jacob William Rees-Mogg is a British politician, businessman and broadcaster who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset from 2010 to 2024.
Jacob Bethell — Jacob Graham Bethell is a cricketer who plays for the England cricket team.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Jacob
Unlikely. With around 1,258 UK babies named Jacob per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Jacob in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Jacob has been fairly steady, ranked #41 in 2025 against #19 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #4 in 2013.
The name Jacob has Hebrew origins and means "Supplanter". Names with clear etymological roots tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles and give children a story to tell about their name.
Notable people named Jacob include: Jacob Templeton, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jacob Bethell. Short summaries for each appear below.
Jacob ranks #41 in the US (2024), making it comfortably inside the American top 100. It's well-liked on both sides of the Atlantic.
1,258
UK babies named Jacob (2025)
~0.0
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.7
In a school of 600
↓ 22 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Jacob
Almost certainly the only Jacob in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Jacob
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Sir Jacob William Rees-Mogg is a British politician, businessman and broadcaster who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset from 2010 to 2024.
Jacob Salomonsz. van Ruysdael was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter who was the son of Salomon van Ruysdael and the cousin of the more famous Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael.
Jacob the Monk (Greek Ἰάκωβος μονάχος, Latin Jacobus monachus), known in Syriac as Jacob the Wanderer (ܡܫܢܝܢܐܝܥܩܘܒ) and in Russian as Jacob the Palestinian (Иаков Палестинский), Jacob the Fasting (Иаков Постник), and Jacob of Carmel (Иаков Кармильский) was (if he existed) a hermit who lived in sixth-century Palestine.