UK boy's name
Jakob
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Jakob is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jakob popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1402, with 19 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 105 births.
This profile covers 2,071 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 18% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,211 living people in the UK are called Jakob. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Jakob ranked #1402 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 19 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 105 boys were registered as Jakob.
- • Jakob ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #366 in 2023.
- • About 2,211 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jakob as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1402
2024
Births in 2024
19
Latest year
Peak year
2013
105 births
Estimated living
2,211
2026
Meaning
What does Jakob mean?
The name Jakob has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, deriving from the Biblical name Ya'aqov or Jacob. It is a variant spelling of the name Jacob, which itself comes from the Hebrew word "aqeb" meaning "heel" or "supplanter." The name is rooted in the Old Testament story of Jacob, the younger twin son of Isaac and Rebekah, who was born holding onto the heel of his older brother Esau.
The name Jakob is mentioned numerous times in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, most prominently in the Book of Genesis. It is the name given to the patriarch Jacob, who later had his name changed to Israel by God. The name is also found in other ancient texts and religious scriptures, such as the Quran, where it is referred to as Ya'qub.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jakob can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating back to the third century BCE. The name was also popular among early Christians and appears in various historical records and accounts from the early centuries of the Common Era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jakob. One of the most famous is Jakob Böhme (1575-1624), a German Christian mystic and philosopher whose writings influenced many later thinkers. Another prominent bearer of the name is Jakob Grimm (1785-1863), one of the Brothers Grimm, who were renowned German philologists and folklorists.
Other notable figures include Jakob Bernoulli (1654-1705), a Swiss mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to the development of calculus; Jakob Fugger (1459-1525), a wealthy German merchant and banker who played a crucial role in the Renaissance; and Jakob Ammann (1644-1730), a Swiss Anabaptist leader who founded the Amish religious movement.
The name Jakob has been widely used across various cultures and regions, particularly in Europe, due to its biblical origins and long-standing tradition. It has undergone various spelling and pronunciation variations over time, but its core meaning and historical significance remain rooted in the Hebrew tradition and the life of the biblical patriarch Jacob.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jakob over time
The chart below shows babies named Jakob registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Jakob, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 19 births in 2024, compared with 105 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jakob by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jakob was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #967 | 172 | 5 |
| 2010s | #485 | 824 | 10 |
| 2000s | #385 | 800 | 10 |
| 1990s | #344 | 275 | 4 |
Geography
Where Jakob is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Jakob. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Jakob ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #366 in 2023.
Across the UK
Jakob in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#366 in 2023
22 years of NRS records, 131 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#414 in 2022
7 years of NISRA records, 26 total registered
Related
Names similar to Jakob
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
FAQ
Jakob: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jakob in the UK right now?
In 2024, Jakob was ranked #1402 for boys in England and Wales, with 19 births registered.
When was Jakob most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 105 babies registered as Jakob in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jakob?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows".
How many people are called Jakob in the UK?
A total of 2,071 babies have been registered as Jakob across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 131 more in Scotland and 26 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Jakob most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Jakob ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #366 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.