Boy Names baby nameJacob

What does the name Jacob mean?

The different meanings of the name Jacob are:
  • Hebrew meaning: Supplanter; held by the heel
  • Latin meaning: Supplanter; holder of the heel
The meaning of the name “Jacob” is different in several languages, countries and cultures and has more than one possibly same or different meanings available.

Additional information: This is a male name that is pronounced as / JAY-cub /. The name means “holder of the heel” or “supplanter.” The first meaning is derived from the biblical Jacob, who was born holding his twin brother Esau’s heel, while the second meaning is due to how he replaced his brother as their father’s favorite.

The boy name Jacob is from the Ecclesiastic Late Latin name Iacobus, whose origin is the Greek name Iakobos, ‘Ιάκωβος’, derived from the Hebrew name Yaakov. Its origin is in the Bible, Jacob was used as the son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of twelve sons and one daughter. His sons became the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. He is also recorded a having wrestled with an angel where his name was changed to Israel after he wrestled entire night. God changed his name to Israel. The name may also mean “May God protect.”

It is a common name in most English-speaking countries. It is a very old name, although new variants are constantly being created.

There are several nicknames that are given to people with the name Jacob and this include: Jay, Jake, Jack, Jackie, Coby and Kobe. There are also some variant of this name which are: Jakob and Jacobus. The name is also related to names such as Jacques, Jaime, James, Yakov and Seamus. The feminine forms of this name are Jacobina, Jacoba, Coby, Jacobine and Jackie. Due to the variation of the languges throughout the world, the name Jacob is spelled and even pronounced differently in different parts of the world. These different spelling include: Yakub in Arabic, Jakov in Czech, Jaakoppi in Finnish, Jakob in German, Seamus in Irish, Giacobbe in Italian, Iago in Portuguese and Jacobo in Spanish.

Jacob was the most popular boy name in the USA for 2012. As of 2014, Jacob is the 4th most popular name in the United States and U.K., and the 8th most popular in Canada. The celebrities that are known to go by this name are: Jacob “Jake” Gyllenhaal, American actor, Jacob Vargas, American actor, Jacob Black, fictional character from Twilight series and Jacob, character on the TV show Lost.