Jakoby
A masculine name, an English derivative of Jacob meaning "supplanter".
Name Census estimates that about 1,658 living Americans carry the first name Jakoby. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jakoby today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jakoby births was 2018 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jakoby. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jakoby with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Jakoby is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 206,728 Americans
Peak year
2018
118 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,546
Tracked since 1991
Census
Jakoby in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,162 people with the first name Jakoby, which placed it at #11,172 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,172
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,162 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
41.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jakoby
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jakoby is White at 41.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.1%) and Two or More Races (13.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jakoby described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jakoby at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.0% · 477
- Black or African American31.1% · 361
- Two or more races13.9% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
Popularity
Jakoby: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jakoby from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 807 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jakoby remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jakoby by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jakoby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jakobys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Ohio recorded the most babies named Jakoby, while Massachusetts, Indiana, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jakoby
The name Jakoby is a variant of the Hebrew name Jacob, which has its origins in the biblical figure Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "Ya'aqov," which means "supplanter" or "one who follows."
In the book of Genesis, Jacob is described as being born holding onto the heel of his twin brother Esau, symbolizing his determination and ambition. The name Jacob is also associated with the concept of "heel," as it shares a root with the Hebrew word "aqev," meaning "heel."
The name Jakoby is believed to have emerged as a variant of Jacob in various European cultures, particularly in Eastern Europe and Slavic regions. It may have evolved through different language influences and transliterations, but the core meaning and connection to the biblical Jacob remain.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jakoby can be found in the 16th century, when it was used as a given name among Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. It subsequently spread to other regions and cultures, although its usage has remained relatively uncommon compared to the more traditional spelling of Jacob.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Jakoby. One example is Jakoby Wolff, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1819 to 1904. He was renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting rural scenes.
Another individual worth mentioning is Jakoby Trinks, a German-American entomologist and naturalist who lived from 1804 to 1859. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and their classification.
In the realm of literature, Jakoby Lenz was a notable German playwright and writer of the Sturm und Drang literary movement. He lived from 1751 to 1792 and is known for his play "Die Soldaten" and his novel "Der Hofmeister."
Moving to the 20th century, Jakoby Trofimov was a Soviet military leader who played a significant role during World War II. He served as a Major General in the Red Army and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his bravery and leadership.
Lastly, Jakoby Petrov was a Bulgarian painter and artist who lived from 1915 to 1992. He was known for his vibrant and expressive works, often depicting scenes from everyday life and the Bulgarian countryside.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Jakoby throughout history, highlighting its connection to various cultures, professions, and historical periods.
People
Jakoby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jakoby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jakoby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jakoby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,658 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jakoby going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 206,728 US residents.
Is Jakoby a common name?
We classify Jakoby as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,674 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jakoby most popular?
The single biggest year for Jakoby was 2018, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jakoby is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jakoby in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,162 people with the name Jakoby, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,172 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jakoby in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jakoby?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jakoby leans strongly male. 1,147 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 21 female bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jakoby?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jakoby is White at 41.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.1%) and Two or More Races (13.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jakoby most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jakoby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.0% (477 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jakoby in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jakoby a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jakoby in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Jakoby still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jakoby in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jakoby can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Jakoby?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.