2000
#233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 42.83
Common Last name
Jacobs
Derived from the given name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows," often indicating a son of Jacob.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131,765 Americans carry the last name Jacobs. That puts it at #266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,601 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacobs 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 Jacobs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132K
1 in 2,601
Census rank
#266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114,905 bearers of the surname Jacobs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobs, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacobs
The surname Jacobs is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical patriarch Jacob, whose name translates to "supplanter" or "one who follows". It is believed that this name was initially adopted by Jewish families as a patronymic, indicating descent from an ancestor named Jacob.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jacobs can be traced back to the 12th century in medieval England, where it was rendered as "Jacobus" or "Jacobi" in Latin documents. These early spellings reflect the name's Hebrew roots and its subsequent adoption by Jewish communities in various European countries.
As Jewish communities migrated and settled across Europe, the surname Jacobs evolved into different regional variations, such as Jakobs in Germany, Jacobs or Jacobs in the Netherlands, and Jacobson or Jacobsen in Scandinavia. These variations often incorporated local suffixes or patronymic endings.
One notable historical reference to the surname Jacobs can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from 1327, which lists a John Jacobi as a taxpayer. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of 1195 mention a Richard Jacobi, indicating the early presence of the name in England during the medieval period.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Jacobs are Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916), an Australian-born Jewish writer and folklorist known for his collections of English fairy tales and fables. Another notable figure is William Wymark Jacobs (1863-1943), an English author best remembered for his horror short story "The Monkey's Paw".
Other prominent individuals bearing the surname Jacobs include Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), an influential American-Canadian writer and urban theorist who championed community-based approaches to city planning. Alastair Jacobs (1925-2018) was a British architect and designer known for his innovative work in public housing and urban renewal projects.
In the world of sports, Brandon Jacobs (born 1982) is a former American football running back who played for the New York Giants and won two Super Bowl championships. Lastly, Sir Michael Jacobs (1936-2014) was a British businessman and philanthropist who served as the chairman of the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Opera House.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacobs
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobs, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacobs 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 Jacobs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 82,206
- Black or African American16.5% · 18,906
- Two or more races4.4% · 5,084
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4,015
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 3,831
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 863
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacobs
Jacobs 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
#257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118,614
+3,074 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 40.21
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,905
-3,709 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 38.44
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #233 | 115,540 | 42.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #257 | 118,614 | 40.21 | +3,074 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #266 | 114,905 | 38.44 | -3,709 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 9 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 Jacobs 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 | #257 | #266 | -3.5% |
| Count | 118,614 | 114,905 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 40.21 | 38.44 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacobs bearers went from 118,614 to 114,905 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #257 to #266.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jacobs
FAQ
Jacobs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacobs?
Name Census estimates that about 131,765 living Americans carry the surname Jacobs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,601 residents.
How common is Jacobs?
Jacobs ranks #266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 38 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114,905 people with the surname Jacobs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131,765), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 38 of them to have the surname Jacobs.
Has Jacobs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacobs went from 118,614 recorded bearers to 114,905. That is a decrease of 3,709 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #257 to #266.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacobs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacobs, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Jacobs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (82,206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacobs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Black (16.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Jacobs (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 Jacobs mean?
Derived from the given name Jacob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows," often indicating a son of Jacob. 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 Jacobs (38.44 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 many people have the surname Jacobs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.