2000
#3,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.42
Uncommon Last name
Jacoby
Derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (Jacob), meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows on the heels of another."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,162 Americans carry the last name Jacoby. That puts it at #3,892 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacoby 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 Jacoby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,729
Census rank
#3,892
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,862 bearers of the surname Jacoby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3892nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacoby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacoby
The surname Jacoby originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows behind." The name likely came into use as a patronymic, indicating a person as the son of Jacob.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jacoby can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. A reference to a certain Henricus Jacoby is documented in this codex, dated to the year 1283.
In the 14th century, the surname Jacoby appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Libro de los Fuegos, a tax register from the Kingdom of Aragon. This document mentions a Petrus Jacoby living in the town of Castellón de la Plana in 1377.
The Jacoby surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Johann Jacoby, a German astronomer born in 1805 who made significant contributions to the study of comets and asteroids. Another is Friedrich Jacoby, a German classical scholar and philologist who lived from 1876 to 1959 and is renowned for his work on ancient Greek history and literature.
In the 16th century, the surname Jacoby can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a prominent family of the name resided. One member, Hans Jacoby (1518-1585), was a respected merchant and city councilor.
The name Jacoby has also been linked to various place names, such as Jacobydorf (now Jakubów) in Poland, which was likely named after an early settler with the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Jacoby include:
1. Sir Walter Jacoby (1842-1915), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Newfoundland from 1909 to 1913.
2. Annice Jacoby (1899-1975), an American editor and writer who co-founded the pioneering children's magazine "Child Life" in 1935.
3. Oswald Jacoby (1902-1984), an American contract bridge player and author who was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his era.
4. Russell Jacoby (born 1945), an American sociologist and author known for his works on critical theory and intellectual history.
5. Susan Jacoby (born 1945), an American author and secular humanist known for her writings on modern secularism and freedom of thought.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacoby
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacoby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacoby 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 Jacoby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 8,089
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 390
- Two or more races2.7% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 89
- Black or African American0.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacoby
Jacoby 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
#3,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,372
+147 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#3,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,862
-510 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,534 | 9,225 | 3.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,776 | 9,372 | 3.18 | +147 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #3,892 | 8,862 | 2.96 | -510 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 116 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 Jacoby 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 | #3,776 | #3,892 | -3.1% |
| Count | 9,372 | 8,862 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.18 | 2.96 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacoby bearers went from 9,372 to 8,862 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,776 to #3,892.
FAQ
Jacoby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacoby?
Name Census estimates that about 10,162 living Americans carry the surname Jacoby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,729 residents.
How common is Jacoby?
Jacoby ranks #3,892 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,862 people with the surname Jacoby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Jacoby.
Has Jacoby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacoby went from 9,372 recorded bearers to 8,862. That is a decrease of 510 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,776 to #3,892.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacoby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacoby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Jacoby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (8,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacoby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Jacoby (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 Jacoby mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (Jacob), meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows on the heels of another." 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 Jacoby (2.96 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 Jacoby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.