UK boy's name
Yakov
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter" or "he 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.
Yakov is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Yakov popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 22 births.
This profile covers 311 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1997 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 91% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 309 living people in the UK are called Yakov. 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
- • Yakov ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 22 boys were registered as Yakov.
- • About 309 living people in the UK are estimated to have Yakov as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2011
22 births
Estimated living
309
2026
Meaning
What does Yakov mean?
The name Yakov has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, which is believed to be a combination of the words "aqev" meaning "heel" and "ya'aqov" meaning "supplanter" or "holder of the heel." This name is rooted in the biblical story of Jacob, who was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau.
The name Yakov appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, as it is the name given to the patriarch Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca. Jacob is a central figure in the book of Genesis and is revered as one of the founding fathers of the Israelites. His story is significant in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Yakov can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The name has been used throughout Jewish history and has been borne by many notable individuals.
One of the most famous figures named Yakov in ancient times was Yakov Ben Mattir, a Jewish rebel leader who led an uprising against the Roman Empire in the 2nd century CE. Another notable Yakov was Yakov ben Asher, a 14th-century German rabbi and codifier of Jewish law, who was born in 1270 and died in 1343.
During the Middle Ages, the name Yakov was widely used among Ashkenazi Jews living in Eastern Europe. One prominent figure was Yakov Pollak, a 16th-century Czech rabbi and scholar who was born in 1460 and died in 1541.
In more recent history, Yakov Sverdlov was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a close associate of Vladimir Lenin. He played a crucial role in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and served as the first head of the Soviet government until his death in 1919.
Another famous Yakov was Yakov Malik, a Soviet diplomat and former President of the United Nations General Assembly, who served from 1948 to 1949. He was born in 1906 and died in 1980.
Despite its ancient roots, the name Yakov has remained popular throughout history and continues to be used in various cultures and communities today, particularly among those with Jewish heritage or connections to the Hebrew language and culture.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Yakov over time
The chart below shows babies named Yakov registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Yakov, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 22 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yakov by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Yakov 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 | #1646 | 75 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1644 | 149 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2308 | 73 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2301 | 14 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Yakov
- Yusuf 11,801
- Yahya 5,758
- Yunus 2,009
- Yaseen 1,799
- Yasin 1,797
- Yuvraj 1,605
- Yaqub 1,517
- Yousef 1,489
- Yousuf 1,454
- Yasir 1,056
- Yash 876
- Youssef 749
FAQ
Yakov: questions and answers
How popular is the name Yakov in the UK right now?
In 2024, Yakov was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Yakov most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 22 babies registered as Yakov in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Yakov?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter" or "he who follows".
How many people are called Yakov in the UK?
A total of 311 babies have been registered as Yakov across the 28 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.