Jacob

Last seen for girls in 2024 at #10,271 · #43 for boys in 2025, 6,152 births
Given to boys 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1999 · 35,371 births
Debut · boys
404 births
In top 100 · boys
76 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
988,227
since 1880

Jacob over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #1, 1999boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#436,152
2024#10,2719#406,541
2023#13,4626#357,015
2022#9,68010#327,667
2021#11,1468#248,494
2020#10,2509#159,309
2019#11,3568#1210,797
2018#10,5459#1311,897
2017#7,09216#913,269
2016#7,23016#714,559
2015#5,65323#416,005
2014#8,48513#416,923
2013#5,64423#218,201
2012#5,25326#119,110
2011#5,72823#120,403
2010#4,86029#122,157
2009#5,22627#121,204
2008#5,01329#122,621
2007#4,38034#124,310
2006#3,99237#124,871
2005#3,64640#125,851
2004#1,262171#127,911
2003#3,13147#129,658
2002#3,33441#130,586
2001#3,48638#132,573
2000#2,54559#134,492
1999#2,34363#135,371
1998#2,33860#236,031
1997#2,22961#234,163
1996#2,42353#331,925
1995#2,05266#431,134
1994#2,50350#729,417
1993#2,04567#927,487
1992#2,45952#1525,665
1991#2,16361#1725,200
1990#2,17459#2022,022
1989#1,80474#2617,831
1988#1,66078#2815,883
1987#1,44690#3114,326
1986#1,55278#3113,652
1985#1,56277#3512,284
1984#2,05049#3711,358
1983#1,66566#3610,999
1982#1,64170#4110,059
1981#1,83060#439,342
1980#2,01452#438,520
1979#2,30441#457,545
1978#2,23741#506,161
1977#2,46335#565,788
1976#3,18822#634,509
1975#2,96924#753,618
1974#3,21221#882,957
1973#4,87111#1222,123
1972#7,2926#1551,683
1971#8,3245#2231,057
1970#255910
1969#296656
1968#324553
1967#354445
1966#351454
1965#346487
1964#6,7675#344522
1963#353487
1962#369474
1961#354504
1960#351493
1959#328558
1958#341506
1957#331540
1956#322538
1955#5,8285#303577
1954#306563
1953#289590
1952#298561
1951#311502
1950#318465
1949#308490
1948#289550
1947#301522
1946#304457
1945#292417
1944#283437
1943#281476
1942#252524
1941#257466
1940#234514
1939#261427
1938#240488
1937#4,2555#223536
1936#229500
1935#242475
1934#219547
1933#213539
1932#4,4115#218558
1931#217572
1930#3,6587#212622
1929#4,5705#203647
1928#196718
1927#173855
1926#177810
1925#166901
1924#5,0615#163970
1923#160975
1922#1481,027
1921#5,0995#1431,094
1920#4,9755#1431,050
1919#1371,082
1918#4,8095#1331,198
1917#4,5945#1301,122
1916#1231,132
1915#1211,122
1914#113997
1913#117744
1912#110691
1911#2,4635#116323
1910#117273
1909#102262
1908#107235
1907#101243
1906#114187
1905#98220
1904#89243
1903#103189
1902#95207
1901#98172
1900#101233
1899#92189
1898#81256
1897#88204
1896#82241
1895#74266
1894#68292
1893#65292
1892#73283
1891#69238
1890#66290
1889#67295
1888#57353
1887#56317
1886#54346
1885#52343
1884#50381
1883#49356
1882#46390
1881#39381
1880#39404
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Jacob was already there! It came in at #39, and was given to 404 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1896–1908, when fewer than 260 boys a year got the name.

See more about Jacob
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 3 spots since 2024 (#40#43)
  • 28 spots since 2020 (#15#43)
  • 39 spots since 2015 (#4#43)
  • Biggest jump: 68 spots in 1972 (#223#155)
  • Biggest drop: 29 spots in 1943 (#252#281)
Rise & fade · boys
119 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1999 at #1 (35,371 births)
  • Births halved by 2014, 15 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 25 yrs
  • Top 10: 25 yrs · run 1993–2017
  • Top 100: 76 yrs · run 1974–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 53
  • Highest: 1 in 53 boys born in 1998 were named Jacob (1.9%)
  • Latest: 1 in 278 boys born in 2025 (0.36%)
  • Its best rank, #1 in 1999, was only 1 in 54 (1.8%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1990s
  • 30.2% of all boys named Jacob (298,415) were born in this decade
  • Comeback: #39 (1880) → #369 (1962) → #1 (1999)
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s3,566#39 (1880)#51
1890s2,551#65 (1893)#76
1900s2,191#89 (1904)#101
1910s8,684#110 (1912)#122
1920s9,047#143 (1921)#167
1930s5,264#212 (1930)#227
1940s4,853#234 (1940)#280
1950s5,400#289 (1953)#315
1960s5,075#296 (1969)#344
1970s36,351#45 (1979)#113
1980s124,254#26 (1989)#35
1990s298,415#1 (1999)#8
2000s274,077#1 (2000)#1
2010s163,321#1 (2010)#5
2020s45,178#15 (2020)#32

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Jacob in 1972

girls
#7,292
6 births · 1 in 253,541 girls
boys
#155
1,683 births · 1 in 964 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #7,292Jacob6

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #155Jacob1,683
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 253,541 of them was named Jacob, which outranked 24.6% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jacob
  1. #6,558Yukiko7
  2. #6,558Zorina7
  3. #6,558Zully7
  4. #7,292Jacob6
  5. #7,292Adonia6
  6. #7,292Afua6
  7. #7,292Aggie6
  8. #8,292Aarona5
  9. #8,292Abigale5
  10. #8,292Adabel5

Tied with 999 names at #7,292; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 5,804Camisha#6,619#815
  2. 3,921Catina#4,123#202
  3. 1,842Cherilyn#2,665#823
  4. 1,789Chasity#2,542#753
  5. 1,694Keena#2,542#848
Fallers
  1. 517Shayla#836#1,353
  2. 428Raina#798#1,226
  3. 280Kendall#742#1,022
  4. 275Alycia#951#1,226
  5. 255Charisse#727#982

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 964 of them was named Jacob, which outranked 97.3% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jacob
  1. #152Manuel1,703
  2. #153Ricardo1,701
  3. #154Wesley1,690
  4. #155Jacob1,683
  5. #156Dean1,682
  6. #157Adrian1,678
  7. #158Duane1,677
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 2,755Demond#3,146#391
  2. 1,286Cade#2,279#993
  3. 905Vidal#1,526#621
  4. 855Damond#1,784#929
  5. 849Kareem#1,254#405
Fallers
  1. 413Rich#914#1,327
  2. 401Monroe#947#1,348
  3. 317Laura#990#1,307
  4. 309Von#976#1,285
  5. 309Westley#998#1,307

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1972