Yaqoub
A masculine Arabic name of Hebrew origin meaning "he who follows".
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Yaqoub. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yaqoub today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yaqoub births was 2024 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yaqoub. 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 Yaqoub with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yaqoub. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
2024
13 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,794
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Yaqoub: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yaqoub from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 34 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yaqoub 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 Yaqoub during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yaqoubs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yaqoub
The name Yaqoub has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating in the Middle East. It is derived from the Semitic root word "aqab," which means "to follow" or "to succeed." This name holds significant historical and religious significance, particularly in the Abrahamic faiths.
In the Arabic language, Yaqoub is the equivalent of the biblical name Jacob, which is found in the Torah, the Old Testament, and the Quran. According to these religious texts, Jacob was one of the patriarchs and a prominent figure in the Israelite tradition. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Yaqoub can be traced back to ancient times, as it appears in various historical and religious texts. One of the most notable references is in the Quran, where the story of Yaqoub (Jacob) and his sons is recounted in detail.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Yaqoub. One of the earliest was Yaqoub ibn Killis (c. 930–991), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Iraq who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and spherical trigonometry.
Another prominent figure was Yaqoub al-Mansur (1160–1199), the fifth ruler of the Almohad Caliphate in North Africa and Andalusia. He was known for his military conquests and his efforts to promote education and cultural development within his realm.
In the realm of literature, Yaqoub Sanu (1493–1562) was a renowned Persian poet and scholar from Iran. His poetic works, particularly his ghazals, were highly influential and celebrated during his time.
Yaqoub Artin Pasha (1825–1891), an Egyptian prime minister and diplomat, played a significant role in the modernization of Egypt in the 19th century. He was instrumental in establishing the country's first railway system and worked to strengthen Egypt's international relations.
In more recent history, Yaqoub Khurshid (1920–2005) was a prominent Pakistani lawyer and jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1968 to 1975.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Yaqoub throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across various cultures and disciplines.
People
Yaqoub + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yaqoub as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yaqoub: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yaqoub?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yaqoub 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 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Yaqoub a common name?
We classify Yaqoub as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 68 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yaqoub most popular?
The single biggest year for Yaqoub was 2024, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yaqoub is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Yaqoub in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yaqoub a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yaqoub 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 Yaqoub still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yaqoub 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 Yaqoub 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Yaqoub?
See how many Americans are named Yaqoub on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.