Jacob is a distinctive girls' name in United States, ranking #3669 in 2005 with 40 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2004 with 171 births ranking #1263. Since 1996, the popularity has decreased by 24.5%. In 2005, approximately 1 in every 46,192 girls born was named Jacob. STABLE Recent data shows the name is currently stable.
Jacob is a major Hebrew biblical name traditionally linked with grasping the heel and later with the idea of supplanting. It is one of the deepest-rooted and most internationally stable boys' names in use.
The name comes from the patriarch Jacob in the Hebrew Bible and has remained central in Jewish and Christian naming for centuries. Its long life has made it feel timeless rather than old.