Fun Facts About the Name Yaacov
- 127 babies named Yaacov: U.S. records list 127 babies given the name Yaacov from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yaacov Mean?
Yaacov is a transliteration variant of the Hebrew name Yaʿaqov (יַעֲקֹב), conventionally translated as Supplanter or heel-holder. The name is built from the Hebrew root ʿ-q-b, which appears in ʿaqev ("heel") and the verb ʿaqav ("to supplant," "to take by the heel," or "to overreach"). In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob is born grasping the heel of his twin Esau, and the narrative explains his name through that image (Genesis 25:26); later Esau says Jacob has supplanted him twice (Genesis 27:36). That biblical wordplay is the source of the customary meaning. Some scholars have proposed that the name was originally a shortened theophoric name meaning something like "may God protect," but this derivation is not certain and is not the basis of the usual interpretation.
Yaacov Name History & Origins
The Hebrew form Yaʿaqov (יַעֲקֹב) is the biblical name of the patriarch Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, who is also called Israel. The name appears in the book of Genesis and belongs to the ancestral traditions of the Israelites. In Jewish usage, Yaʿaqov has been a personal name for centuries, and it is read in the Hebrew Bible and in Jewish liturgy. The spelling Yaacov is one of several English-letter transliterations of that same Hebrew name; it represents the ayin with an a and the qof with a c before o. It is equivalent to the more common transliteration Yaakov and to the English name Jacob, which reached English through Greek Iakobos and Latin Iacobus. In modern Israel, the form Yaakov is used as a masculine name, while Yaacov appears chiefly in English-language contexts as a romanization.
How Popular is the Name Yaacov?
Yaacov has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2000. Its best rank was #5,138 in 1985.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #14,136 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,215 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #10,741 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #14,171 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #9,841 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #10,621 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #8,897 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #10,855 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #8,425 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #6,820 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #8,840 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,127 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #5,444 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #7,800 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #5,138 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #7,319 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,462 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,227 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,346 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with Y
How the Name Yaacov Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Yaacov's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yaacov's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.