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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #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.

Where Jacob is popular in 1979

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #38 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 131 boysAKMaine: #39 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 138 boysMEVermont: #43 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 140 boysVTNew Hampshire: #44 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 154 boysNHWashington: #29 for boys · 286 births · 1 in 104 boysWAIdaho: #16 for boys · 130 births · 1 in 65 boysIDMontana: #35 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 114 boysMTNorth Dakota: #55 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 197 boysNDMinnesota: #35 for boys · 291 births · 1 in 107 boysMNIllinois: #48 for boys · 368 births · 1 in 228 boysILWisconsin: #37 for boys · 279 births · 1 in 124 boysWIMichigan: #47 for boys · 305 births · 1 in 220 boysMINew York: #70 for boys · 297 births · 1 in 374 boysNYMassachusetts: #62 for boys · 99 births · 1 in 343 boysMARhode Island: #79 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 442 boysRIOregon: #25 for boys · 227 births · 1 in 85 boysORNevada: #33 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 118 boysNVWyoming: #20 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 74 boysWYSouth Dakota: #53 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 213 boysSDIowa: #33 for boys · 194 births · 1 in 114 boysIAIndiana: #41 for boys · 250 births · 1 in 164 boysINOhio: #52 for boys · 329 births · 1 in 244 boysOHPennsylvania: #63 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 326 boysPANew Jersey: #107 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 719 boysNJConnecticut: #68 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 385 boysCTCalifornia: #51 for boys · 779 births · 1 in 231 boysCAUtah: #26 for boys · 220 births · 1 in 86 boysUTColorado: #36 for boys · 170 births · 1 in 128 boysCONebraska: #41 for boys · 75 births · 1 in 159 boysNEMissouri: #41 for boys · 230 births · 1 in 160 boysMOKentucky: #64 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 303 boysKYWest Virginia: #58 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 267 boysWVVirginia: #52 for boys · 124 births · 1 in 268 boysVAMaryland: #72 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 398 boysMDDelaware: #81 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 413 boysDEArizona: #40 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 163 boysAZNew Mexico: #35 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 144 boysNMKansas: #34 for boys · 148 births · 1 in 114 boysKSArkansas: #59 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 228 boysARTennessee: #67 for boys · 106 births · 1 in 310 boysTNNorth Carolina: #75 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 368 boysNCSouth Carolina: #76 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 369 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #55 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 247 boysDCOklahoma: #42 for boys · 133 births · 1 in 160 boysOKLouisiana: #47 for boys · 170 births · 1 in 205 boysLAMississippi: #104 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 462 boysMSAlabama: #61 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 278 boysALGeorgia: #76 for boys · 100 births · 1 in 393 boysGAHawaii: #45 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 195 boysHITexas: #45 for boys · 562 births · 1 in 219 boysTXFlorida: #70 for boys · 150 births · 1 in 365 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Idaho#16 · 1 in 65
  2. Wyoming#20 · 1 in 74
  3. Oregon#25 · 1 in 85
  4. Utah#26 · 1 in 86
  5. Washington#29 · 1 in 104

Best ever in a state: #1 in Iowa, 1991.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Idaho#161301 in 65
Wyoming#20481 in 74
Oregon#252271 in 85
Utah#262201 in 86
Washington#292861 in 104
Iowa#331941 in 114
Nevada#33421 in 118
Kansas#341481 in 114
Minnesota#352911 in 107
Montana#35511 in 114
New Mexico#35711 in 144
Colorado#361701 in 128
Wisconsin#372791 in 124
Alaska#38271 in 131
Maine#39521 in 138
Arizona#401281 in 163
Indiana#412501 in 164
Missouri#412301 in 160
Nebraska#41751 in 159
Oklahoma#421331 in 160
Vermont#43221 in 140
New Hampshire#44371 in 154
Hawaii#45331 in 195
Texas#455621 in 219
Louisiana#471701 in 205
Michigan#473051 in 220
Illinois#483681 in 228
California#517791 in 231
Ohio#523291 in 244
Virginia#521241 in 268
South Dakota#53251 in 213
District of Columbia#55321 in 247
North Dakota#55281 in 197
West Virginia#58521 in 267
Arkansas#59701 in 228
Alabama#61971 in 278
Massachusetts#62991 in 343
Pennsylvania#632331 in 326
Kentucky#64931 in 303
Tennessee#671061 in 310
Connecticut#68451 in 385
Florida#701501 in 365
New York#702971 in 374
Maryland#72571 in 398
North Carolina#751021 in 368
Georgia#761001 in 393
South Carolina#76571 in 369
Rhode Island#79121 in 442
Delaware#8191 in 413
Mississippi#104411 in 462
New Jersey#107591 in 719

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1979

girls
#2,304
41 births · 1 in 39,153 girls
boys
#45
7,545 births · 1 in 228 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #2,304Jacob41

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #45Jacob7,545
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 39,153 of them was named Jacob, which outranked 80.8% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jacob
  1. #2,273Tandra42
  2. #2,273Tomica42
  3. #2,273Twanna42
  4. #2,304Jacob41
  5. #2,304Aarika41
  6. #2,304Aesha41
  7. #2,304Aimie41
  8. #2,343Aime40
  9. #2,343Aleesha40
  10. #2,343Andreana40

Tied with 38 names at #2,304; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,593Breanne#2,125 → #532
  2. ↑ 1,527Loni#2,516 → #989
  3. ↑ 1,287Renata#2,012 → #725
  4. ↑ 985Ashanti#1,862 → #877
  5. ↑ 896Nicolette#1,581 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 392Christel#762 → #1,154
  2. ↓ 312Kenisha#557 → #869
  3. ↓ 297Ariane#887 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 285Imelda#947 → #1,232
  5. ↓ 252Farrah#539 → #791

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

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 228 of them was named Jacob, which outranked 99.4% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Jacob
  1. #42Gregory9,109
  2. #43Shawn7,910
  3. #44Jose7,848
  4. #45Jacob7,545
  5. #46Bryan7,441
  6. #47Bradley6,923
  7. #48Edward6,877
Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,228Tyrel#2,134 → #906
  2. ↑ 471Jace#1,186 → #715
  3. ↑ 387Chaz#1,371 → #984
  4. ↑ 311Tyrell#1,051 → #740
  5. ↑ 308Frederic#1,203 → #895
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,230Dequan#927 → #2,157
  2. ↓ 641Rahsaan#869 → #1,510
  3. ↓ 446Chip#989 → #1,435
  4. ↓ 308Rashaun#996 → #1,304
  5. ↓ 307Kenya#749 → #1,056

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

See the top 100 for 1979 →