Jacob Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Jacob Name Meaning: Derives from the given name 'Jacob'.From Latin 'Jacobus',itself from Hebrew 'Yakoov',deriving from Hebrew 'Akev',meaning 'heel'.

The bible states the name of the younger twin brother of 'Esau' who took advantage of the villagers impulsiveness to split with his birthright for a 'batch of soup'.Jacob was said to have been born holding on to 'Esau's' heel.

Discover how your Jacob ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Buckinghamshire 35
Brecknockshire 10
Carnarvonshire 4
Cambridgeshire 57
Cardiganshire 105
Channel Islands 15
Cheshire 10
Carmarthenshire 83
Cornwall 68
Derbyshire 2
Denbighshire 3
Devon 30
Dorset 57
Durham 16
Essex 25
Flintshire 2
Glamorgan 91
Gloucestershire 22
Hampshire 180
Herefordshire 1
Hertfordshire 5
Hunts and Rutland 70
Isle of Man 4
Kent 52
Lancashire 28
Leicestershire 17
Lincolnshire 8
London 285
Middlesex 24
Merionethshire 1
Montgomeryshire 5
Monmouthshire 116
Northumberland 4
Norfolk 165
Northamptonshire 22
Nottinghamshire 1
Oxfordshire 49
Pembrokeshire 32
Shropshire 5
Suffolk 197
Somerset 61
Surrey 7
Sussex 37
Staffordshire 21
Warwickshire 8
Wiltshire 76
Worcestershire 22
Yorkshire 28
Anglesey 0
Bedfordshire 0
Berkshire 0
Cumberland 0
Radnorshire 0
Westmorland 0

Jacob Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Jacob family

Profession Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer 123
Independent 88
Female Servant 63
Labourer 38
Male Servant 28
Farmer 28
Carpenter 20
Tailor 12
Pauper 11
Yeoman 11
Blacksmith 10
Ag Labourer 10
Shoe Maker 9
Mason 8
Hawker 7
Sawyer 7
Independant 7
Builder 7
Miller 6
School Mistress 6
Pupil 6
Daur Of Above 5
Lead Miner 5
Clerk 5
Bricklayer 5

Most Frequent Forenames for Jacob

Name Census Frequency
William Jacob 1,204
Mary Jacob 1,175
John Jacob 947
Elizabeth Jacob 727
Sarah Jacob 611
George Jacob 564
Thomas Jacob 557
James Jacob 514
Charles Jacob 426
Henry Jacob 419
Ann Jacob 410
Jane Jacob 354
Edward Jacob 274
Eliza Jacob 271
Robert Jacob 270
Emma Jacob 252
Joseph Jacob 245
Alice Jacob 237
Ellen Jacob 227
Hannah Jacob 221
Margaret Jacob 215
Arthur Jacob 211
Frederick Jacob 211
Emily Jacob 205
David Jacob 200

Jacob Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Jacob 100% 20,626
2 Jacobi 83% 359
3 Jacobe 83% 170

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The surname Jacob is the most popular version of all its varients

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