Jacob (name)
Jacob is a common male given name and a less well-known surname. It is a cognate of James. Jacob is derived from Late Latin Iacobus, from Greek Ἰάκωβος Iakobos, from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿqob, Yaʿaqov, Yaʿăqōḇ), the name of the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob son of Isaac and Rebecca. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵב ʿaqeb.
![]() Isaac Blessing Jacob, 1638 Govert Flinck painting. The name Jacob comes from the Biblical story of Jacob's birth where he came out holding the heel of his twin brother, Esau. | |
Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ |
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Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | derived from Late Latin Jacobus, from Greek Ἰάκωβος Iakovos, from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿqob, Yaʿaqov, Yaʿăqōḇ) |
Meaning | "seizing by the heel", "supplanting" |
Other names | |
Related names | James, Jakob, Jake, Jack, Jakov, Yakub, Yakup |
In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau (Genesis 25:26). The name is etymologized (in a direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.[1]
In a Christian context, Jacob – James as reduced English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: (1) apostle James, son of Zebedee, (2) another apostle James, son of Alphaeus, and (3) James the brother of Jesus (James the Just), who led the original Nazarene Community in Jerusalem.
Modern usage
From 1999 through 2012, Jacob was the most popular baby name for boys in the United States.[2] Since Jacob is also venerated as a prophet of Islam, his name is commonly used as a male first name in Arab and Muslim societies (Arabic Yakub, Turkish Yakup).
Variants
- Afrikaans – Jakob, Jacob, Jakobus, Jacobus
- Albanian – Jakup, Jakupi; Jakob, Jakobi; Gjokë, Gjoka; Zhak, Zhaku
- Arabic – Yaʿqūb (Yakub) (يعقوب)
- Armenian – Յակոբ (classical Armenian and Western Armenian), Հակոբ (Eastern Armenian) (Hakob, Hagop)
- Azerbaijani – Yaqub, Yaqubun, Ceykob
- Basque – Jakobi, Jagoba
- Belarusian – Якуб, Якаў (Jakub, Jakaŭ)
- Bengali – জ্যাকব (Jyākob), ইয়াকুব (Iyakub)
- Bosnian – Jakub (Jakup)
- Brazilian Portuguese – Tiago, Thiago, Diogo, Jaime, Jacó
- Bulgarian – Яков (Yakov)
- Catalan – Jacob, Jaume, Dídac
- Cebuano – Hakob
- Chichewa – Yakobo
- Chinese – 雅各 (Yǎgè)
- Cornish – Jago, Jammes, Jamma
- Croatian – Jakov, Jakob, Jakša
- Czech – Jakub (short form: Kuba)
- Danish – Jacob, Jakob, Jep, Jeppe, Ib
- Dutch – Jaak, Jaap, Jakob, Jacob, Jacobus, Sjaak, Kobus
- English – Jacob, Jake, Jakob, Jaycob; see also James
- Esperanto – Jakobo
- Estonian – Jaak, Jaagup, Jakob
- Ethiopia – Yacob, Yacob, Yakob
- Faroese – Jákup
- Fijian – Jekope, Kope
- Finnish – Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jaakko
- French – Jacob, Jacques, James or Jayme, Jaume, Jacqueline (fem.)
- Galician – Xacobe, Santiago, Iago, Xaime
- Georgian – იაკობ (Iakob), კობა (Koba)
- German – Jakob, Jacob [ja:kop]
- Greek – Iákovos (Ιάκωβος), Iakóv (Ιακώβ), Yángos (Γιάγκος)
- Gujarati – જેકબ (Jēkaba)
- Haitian Creole – Jakòb
- Hausa – Yakubu
- Hebrew –Ya'akov (יעקב), Koby, Ya'akova (female)
- Hindi – याकूब (Yākūba)
- Hmong – Yakhauj
- Hungarian – Jakab, Jákob
- Icelandic – Jakob
- Igbo – Jekọb
- Indonesian – Yakobus (used mainly by Christians), Yakub (used mainly by Muslims)
- Irish – Séamas, Séamus, Sésamo, Sesame, Shéamais, Iacób, Siacus
- Italian – Giacomo, Iacopo, Jacopo, Giacobbe
- Japanese – Yakobu (ヤコブ)
- Javanese – Yakub
- Kannada – ಜಾಕೋಬ್ (Jākōb)
- Kazakh – Жақып (Zhaqyp, Zhakip)
- Khmer – លោកយ៉ាកុប (lok yeakob)
- Korean – Yagop (야곱)
- Kyrgyz – Жакып (Dzhakyp)
- Lao – ຢາໂຄບ (ya okhb)
- Latin – Iacobus
- Latvian – Jēkabs
- Lithuanian – Jokūbas
- Macedonian – Јаков
- Malayalam – ചാക്കോ (Chacko), Yakob
- Maltese – Ġakbu, Ġakobb
- Maori – Hakopa
- Marathi – याकोब (Yākōba)
- Malay – Yakub, Yaakub
- Mongolian – Иаков (Iakov)
- Montenegrin – Jakov, Jakša
- Myanmar – yarkote sai
- Nepali – याकूबले (Yākūbalē)
- Norwegian – Jakob
- Pampangan – Hakub
- Persian – Yaghub (یعقوب)
- Polish – Jakub (short form: Kuba), Jakób, Jakubina and Żaklina (feminine forms adapted from French)
- Portuguese – Jacob and Jacó (orthographic variation of the former), Iago (from the Latin Jacobus), Tiago (saints named "James" in English are São Tiago in Portuguese) and Thiago (archaic spelling), Diego (From Spanish. Saints named "James" in English are Santiago in Spanish) and Diogo (orthographic variation of the former), Thiago in Brazil, Jaime, Jácomo (from Italian Giacomo), Jaques (adapted from French) and Jaqueline (feminine form, adapted from French)
- Punjabi – ਯਾਕੂਬ ਨੇ (Yākūba nē)
- Romanian – Iacob, Iacov
- Russian – Иаков (Iakov) (archaic O.T. form), Яков (Yakov, Iakov), Яша (Yasha, Jascha) (diminutive)
- Samoan – Iakopo, (eh-yuk-oh-po)
- Scandinavian – Jakob, Jacob
- Scots – Hamish
- Scottish Gaelic – Seumas
- Serbian – Jakov (Јаков), Jakša (Јакша)
- Sesotho – Jakobo
- Sinhala – ජාකොබ් (Jakob), යාකොබ් (Yakob)
- Slovak – Jakub (short form: Kubo)
- Slovenian – Jakob [ja:kop], Jaka
- Somali – Yacquub
- Sorbian – Jakub
- Spanish – Jacob, Jacobo, Jaime, Yago, Diego, Santiago, Iago, Tiago
- Swahili – Yakobo
- Swedish – Jakob, Jacob, Jakop
- Sylheti – য়াকুব (Yakub)
- Syriac – ܝܥܩܘܒ (Yaʿqub), also (Yaqo, Yaqko)
- Tagalog – Hakob
- Tajik – Яъқуб (Ja'quʙ)
- Tamil – யாக்கோபு (Yākkōpu)
- Telugu – జాకబ్ (Jākab)
- Thai – จาค็อบ (Cā kh̆ xb, pronounced "Chaa-khawb")
- Turkish – Yakup
- Ukrainian – Yakiv (Яків)
- Urdu – یعقوب
- Uzbek – Yoqub, Yakob, Ya'qub
- Vietnamese – Giacôbê, Giacóp
- Welsh – Siam, Jacob, Jac, Iago
- Xitsonga – Yakobo
- Yiddish – Yankev, Yankl, Yankel, Yankele
- Yoruba – Jakọbù
- Zulu – Jakobe
See also
- All pages with titles beginning with Jacob
- All pages with titles beginning with Jakob
- Jacob (surname)
References
- "And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me (יַּעְקְבֵנִי) these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing" (KJV)
- U.S. Social Security Administration – Popular Baby Names