NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Yacoub

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "supplanter" or "following after".

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.

Yacoub is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Yacoub popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3688, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 12 births.

This profile covers 118 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1999 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 42% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 117 living people in the UK are called Yacoub. 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

  • Yacoub ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 12 boys were registered as Yacoub.
  • About 117 living people in the UK are estimated to have Yacoub as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3688

2024

Births in 2024

5

Latest year

Peak year

2020

12 births

Estimated living

117

2026

Meaning

What does Yacoub mean?

The name Yacoub has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is a variant spelling of the name Jacob, which is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov. The name Ya'aqov comes from the Hebrew root word עקב (aqav), meaning "to follow" or "to be behind." This likely refers to the biblical story of Jacob being born holding onto the heel of his twin brother, Esau.

The name Yacoub first appeared in ancient texts and religious scriptures, including the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. In these texts, Jacob is a prominent figure and one of the patriarchs of the Israelites. He is also known as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Yacoub dates back to the 12th century. Yacoub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi was an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who lived in the 9th century and made significant contributions to the fields of optics and medicine.

Over the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Yacoub. Yacoub Artin Pasha (1825-1891) was an Egyptian politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Egypt from 1876 to 1879. Yacoub Maroun (1904-1969) was a Lebanese poet and writer known for his contributions to the Arabic literary renaissance.

Another famous bearer of the name was Yacoub Rahi (1638-1683), a prominent Lebanese Maronite scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics. Yacoub al-Manfaluti (1875-1924) was an Egyptian writer, journalist, and educator who played a significant role in the Arabic literary movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the realm of sports, Yacoub Yousef Mohamed (born 1956) was an Egyptian football player who represented Egypt in the 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Egyptian national team that won the 1986 African Cup of Nations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Yacoub over time

The chart below shows babies named Yacoub registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 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 Yacoub, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 12 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Yacoub
036912199920112024

Decades

Yacoub by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Yacoub 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 #3234 33 5
2010s #3393 56 10
2000s #3349 26 6
1990s #2943 3 1

Related

Names similar to Yacoub

FAQ

Yacoub: questions and answers

How popular is the name Yacoub in the UK right now?

In 2024, Yacoub was ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Yacoub most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 12 babies registered as Yacoub in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Yacoub?

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "supplanter" or "following after".

How many people are called Yacoub in the UK?

A total of 118 babies have been registered as Yacoub across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.