2000
#1,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.92
Uncommon Last name
Jacob
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew given name Ya'aqov, meaning "supplanter" or "one who grasps the heel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,081 Americans carry the last name Jacob. That puts it at #1,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,786 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacob surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jacob with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,786
Census rank
#1,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,360 bearers of the surname Jacob in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacob, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.0%) and Black (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacob
The surname Jacob is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows upon the heel of another". It is believed to have originated in ancient Israel, dating back to biblical times.
Jacob is a popular surname among Jewish communities worldwide, particularly in Europe and North America. It is also found in various spellings, such as Jacobs, Jacobson, and Jacobsohn, among others.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jacob can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including Jacob and Jacobus.
In the Middle Ages, the name Jacob was commonly associated with Jewish communities in Europe. Notable individuals with this surname include Jacob ben Meir, also known as Rabbenu Tam (c. 1100-1171), a influential French rabbi and scholar. Another prominent figure was Jacob ben Samson (c. 1230-1292), a Spanish rabbi and philosopher.
During the Renaissance, Jacob da Gaeta (c. 1450-1517), an Italian humanist and physician, made significant contributions to the field of medicine. In the 17th century, Jacob Bobart (1599-1680), a German botanist and the first curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden, was renowned for his work in horticulture.
In the 18th century, Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), a German philologist and one of the Brothers Grimm, gained fame for his collection of folktales and his contributions to the study of linguistics. Another notable figure was Jacob Henle (1809-1885), a German physician and anatomist, who made significant discoveries in the field of microscopic anatomy.
In the 19th century, Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), a Swiss historian and cultural theorist, was highly influential in the study of Renaissance art and culture. Jacob Riis (1849-1914), a Danish-American social reformer and photographer, is renowned for his work in documenting the living conditions of the poor in New York City.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals bearing the surname Jacob throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacob
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacob, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.0%) and Black (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacob bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jacob surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 13,244
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.0% · 7,342
- Black or African American10.1% · 2,570
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 1,110
- Two or more races3.5% · 893
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacob
Jacob appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,688
+3,334 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 8.37
Rank movement Up 97 places
2020
#1,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,360
+672 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 8.48
Rank movement Up 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,541 | 21,354 | 7.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,444 | 24,688 | 8.37 | +3,334 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 97 places |
| 2020 | #1,367 | 25,360 | 8.48 | +672 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 77 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jacob surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,444 | #1,367 | 5.3% |
| Count | 24,688 | 25,360 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.37 | 8.48 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacob bearers went from 24,688 to 25,360 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,444 to #1,367.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jacob
FAQ
Jacob surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacob?
Name Census estimates that about 29,081 living Americans carry the surname Jacob. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,786 residents.
How common is Jacob?
Jacob ranks #1,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,360 people with the surname Jacob. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Jacob.
Has Jacob become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacob went from 24,688 recorded bearers to 25,360. That is an increase of 672 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,444 to #1,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacob?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacob, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.0%) and Black (10.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jacob in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (13,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacob appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (29.0%), Black (10.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jacob (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jacob mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew given name Ya'aqov, meaning "supplanter" or "one who grasps the heel." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jacob (8.48 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Jacob?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Jacob at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.