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Yakov

Gender
Boy
Say it
YAH-kov
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#1,964 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,281 for boys

Yakov is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “supplanter”. In 2025 it ranked 1,964th for boys in the UK (13 babies) and 1,281st for boys in the US (153 babies).

What does Yakov mean?

Hebrew: Russian form of Jacob

“supplanter”

The Russian form of Jacob, close to the Hebrew original Yaakov.

Is Yakov a girl's or a boy's name?

Yakov is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the UK and 153 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Yakov in the UK?

Rank in 2025
1,964th among boys
Babies in 2025
13 about 1 in 23,000 boys
Five-year trend
Rising up 28% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 13 boys in the UK were named Yakov, making it the 1,964th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,052nd. Its busiest year was 2011, with 22 boys.

Half of all the boys named Yakov in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among boys in 2025, it was 1,894th in England and Wales.

1997Busiest: 22 in 20112025
Yakov in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202513#1,964
202420#1,397
202313#1,917
202213#1,886
202118#1,481
202011#2,052
201911#2,102
201814#1,803
201722#1,290
201612#2,007
201511#2,127
201414#1,743
201315#1,636
201213#1,850
201122#1,252
201015#1,654
20093#4,691
200814#1,599
20079#2,139
200610#1,845
20054#3,330
20044#3,147
20038#1,880
20028#1,728
20017#1,833
20006#1,977
19997#1,749
19983#3,021
19974#2,438

How popular is Yakov in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,281st among boys
Babies in 2025
153 about 1 in 11,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 23% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 153 boys in the US were named Yakov, making it the 1,281st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,423rd. Its busiest year was 2024, with 172 boys. It first appears in the records in 1953.

Half of all the boys named Yakov in the US since 1880 were born between 2002 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.

1953Busiest: 172 in 20242025
Yakov in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025153#1,281
2024172#1,193
2023123#1,465
2022140#1,341
2021118#1,503
2020121#1,423
2019114#1,494
2018130#1,360
2017113#1,488
2016113#1,501
2015114#1,468
201490#1,691
2013102#1,546
2012104#1,535
2011108#1,495
201086#1,751
2009114#1,459
200891#1,679
200791#1,669
200673#1,855
200574#1,769
200464#1,907
200361#1,903
200250#2,121
200157#1,908
200046#2,171
199939#2,297
199854#1,830
199745#1,988
199643#2,013
199535#2,248
199443#1,922
199333#2,290
199244#1,839
199137#2,013
199022#2,859
198925#2,539
198823#2,504
198725#2,268
198625#2,224
198524#2,225
198419#2,528
198313#3,229
198215#2,971
198118#2,568
198018#2,616
197913#3,167
197814#2,928
197713#3,036
19769#3,722
19755#5,462
197412#2,944
197311#3,011
19729#3,342
19710–
19709#3,280
19697#3,594
19680–
19670–
19660–
19650–
19640–
19636#3,645
19620–
19610–
19605#4,036
19595#3,986
19588#3,031
19570–
19560–
19550–
19540–
19535#3,796

Names like Yakov

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Yusuf, Yug, Yitzchok, Yoan, Kairo, Loki, Yunus, Minh, Mika, Rumi, Shko, Guto

Names related to Yakov

Yaakov

More Hebrew names

Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias

Every Hebrew name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Yakov: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/yakov, updated 20 October 2026.