Fun Facts About the Name Job
- More than 3 thousand babies named Job: U.S. records list 3,399 babies given the name Job from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Job Mean?
The English name Job comes from the Hebrew אִיּוֹב (Iyyov), the name of the central figure in the biblical Book of Job. The Hebrew etymology is uncertain. A common traditional explanation links the name to the root איב (ʾ-y-b), "to be hostile" or "to be an enemy," so that it could mean "persecuted," "hated," or "object of enmity." Another proposed derivation combines אֵי (ʾay, "where?") and אָב (ʾav, "father") to give "where is the father?" - sometimes understood as a name for an orphan or a fatherless child. Because these explanations compete and the root connection is not certain, the precise original meaning remains disputed. Later religious reflection, especially in Islamic tradition around the prophet Ayyūb, has treated Job as a model of patience and repentance, but that is a symbolic and devotional reading rather than a securely established linguistic meaning.
Job Name History & Origins
The name Job is chiefly known from the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, where Job is a righteous man who loses his children, wealth, and health and then argues his case before God. In the Hebrew Bible the book is placed in the Writings (Ketuvim); in Christian Old Testaments it is usually grouped with the wisdom books. The Hebrew form אִיּוֹב was rendered in the Greek Septuagint as Ἰώβ (Iōb) and in the Latin Vulgate as Iob (also spelled Job). English translations took the name from these Latin and Greek forms, giving the modern English spelling Job and the pronunciation that rhymes with "robe."
As a given name, Job has been used in Jewish communities in the Hebrew form Iyyov. In the English-speaking world the name is attested in the early modern period, when Old Testament names were more widely used by Protestants. Its primary association remains the biblical figure. The Arabic cognate Ayyūb (أيوب) is a separate form used in the Muslim world, where it belongs to the same prophetic figure. The given name is not related to the English common noun job, meaning a piece of work, which has a separate and uncertain origin.
How Popular is the Name Job?
Job recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2004. Its best rank was #908 in 1891.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,659 | 49 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #2,318 | 61 | 0.0036% |
| 2023 | #2,972 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 2022 | #2,178 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 2021 | #2,357 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2020 | #2,483 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2019 | #2,322 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 2018 | #2,246 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 2017 | #2,257 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 2016 | #1,852 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 2015 | #1,759 | 87 | 0.0045% |
| 2014 | #1,820 | 82 | 0.0043% |
| 2013 | #1,949 | 71 | 0.0038% |
| 2012 | #2,081 | 66 | 0.0035% |
| 2011 | #1,938 | 72 | 0.0038% |
| 2010 | #2,082 | 65 | 0.0034% |
| 2009 | #2,193 | 61 | 0.0031% |
| 2008 | #1,994 | 71 | 0.0035% |
| 2007 | #1,964 | 72 | 0.0035% |
| 2006 | #1,799 | 77 | 0.0037% |
| 2005 | #1,731 | 77 | 0.0039% |
| 2004 | #1,510 | 89 | 0.0045% |
| 2003 | #1,557 | 82 | 0.0042% |
| 2002 | #1,592 | 77 | 0.0040% |
| 2001 | #1,737 | 66 | 0.0034% |
| 2000 | #1,424 | 87 | 0.0044% |
| 1999 | #1,368 | 87 | 0.0045% |
| 1998 | #1,469 | 76 | 0.0040% |
| 1997 | #1,473 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 1996 | #1,450 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1995 | #1,571 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 1994 | #1,840 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 1993 | #1,709 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 1992 | #1,791 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 1991 | #1,565 | 55 | 0.0027% |
| 1990 | #1,715 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 1989 | #1,877 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 1988 | #2,111 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1987 | #1,578 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1986 | #1,896 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1985 | #1,942 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1984 | #2,006 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1983 | #1,521 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1982 | #1,752 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1981 | #1,832 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1980 | #1,785 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1979 | #2,018 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #1,492 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 1977 | #1,969 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1976 | #1,520 | 36 | 0.0023% |
| 1975 | #1,548 | 34 | 0.0022% |
| 1974 | #1,360 | 40 | 0.0025% |
| 1973 | #1,627 | 29 | 0.0019% |
| 1972 | #1,745 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1971 | #2,505 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #3,663 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #3,192 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #1,990 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1967 | #1,944 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1966 | #4,228 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,686 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #2,480 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #2,606 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #2,312 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #2,798 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,768 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #3,426 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #4,223 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1957 | #2,432 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #2,432 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #2,365 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #3,061 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1952 | #2,778 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #2,947 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #2,899 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #3,149 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1948 | #2,384 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #3,544 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #3,543 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #2,651 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #3,728 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,023 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #2,477 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1932 | #3,226 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #2,768 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1930 | #2,527 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1929 | #2,684 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #3,950 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #3,271 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #3,376 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #4,027 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,352 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #2,996 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #3,935 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1917 | #3,394 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #3,054 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #3,623 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #3,086 | 6 | 0.0009% |
| 1891 | #908 | 6 | 0.0059% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Job Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Job's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Job's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.