The Jacob surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,688 people carried this name — #1,444 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,900 people counted. That is up 16% from 21,354 in 2000.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 10,581 people named Jacob.
305 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 105 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 2,735 people named Jacob live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Entre Ríos.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 2,364 people named Jacob live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
583 people named Jacob live in Switzerland.
They live in 22 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 11 births for the Jacob name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Poland’s population register
39 people named Jacob have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 177 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Kuyavian-Pomeranian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
308 people named Jacob are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Jacob in American newspapers,
1882–1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,756,881 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Jacob,
with a public archive behind them.
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Moses ben Jacob of Coucy d. 1274 · rabbi
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Benet Jacob d. 1830 · rabbi
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Léa Jacob d. 1950 · illustrator
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Cherakarottu Korula Jacob d. 1957 · Anglican priest
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Ignatius Jacob I d. 1517 · writer
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Meshullam ben Jacob d. 1170 · rabbi
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Jacob.
- Jacinto 6,238 · U.S. census
- Jack 15,256 · U.S. census
- Jackel 463 · U.S. census
- Jackowski 1,422 · U.S. census
- Jackson 708,099 · U.S. census
- Jacky 304 · U.S. census
- Jacobe 519 · U.S. census
- Jacobelli 161 · U.S. census
- Jacobi 3,563 · U.S. census
- Jacobs 118,614 · U.S. census
- Jacobson 44,808 · U.S. census
- Jacoby 9,372 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Jacob is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.