How popular is the baby name Jacob in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Jacob.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Jacob


Posts that mention the name Jacob

Popular baby names in the Philippines, 2018

Flag of the Philippines
Flag of the Philippines

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Althea and Nathaniel.

Here are the Philippines’ top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl names

  1. Althea, 2,395 baby girls
  2. Samantha, 2,165
  3. Angel, 2,086
  4. Angela, 1,810
  5. Princess, 1,641
  6. Sophia, 1,537
  7. Sofia, 1,432
  8. Andrea, 1,293
  9. Nathalie, 1,285
  10. Alexa, 1,241

Boy names

  1. Nathaniel, 2,455 baby boys
  2. James, 2,242
  3. Jacob, 2,028
  4. Gabriel, 2,004
  5. Joshua, 1,980
  6. Angelo, 1,872
  7. Nathan, 1,796
  8. John Mark, 1,611
  9. Christian, 1,537
  10. Daniel, 1,498

New to the girls’ top 10 are Nathalie and Alexa. (Nathalie may have gotten a boost from the character Natalie on the Philippine TV series Wildflower.)

The boys’ top 10 includes the same ten names, but in a different order.

One fast-rising girl name outside the top ten is Catriona, thanks to Filipino-Australian beauty queen Catriona Gray, who was crowned Miss Universe 2018.

  • 2018: 1,598 [sic] baby girls named Catriona in the Philippines
  • 2017: 150 baby girls named Catriona in the Philippines
  • 2016: 63 baby girls named Catriona in the Philippines

(My source clearly stated that Catriona was not a top-ten name, so a total count of 1,598 in 2018 is far too high. Perhaps the actual number was 598…?)

Source: Baby Names 2018 – Philippine Statistics Authority (PDF)

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Philippines (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2019

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

According to Retraite Québec, the most popular baby names in Quebec in 2019 were Olivia and Liam.

Here are the province’s top 10 girl names and top 10 11 boy names of 2019:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 549 baby girls
  2. Emma, 517
  3. Alice, 513
  4. Charlie, 499
  5. Charlotte, 497
  6. Lea, 465
  7. Florence, 418
  8. Livia, 407
  9. Rosalie, 354
  10. Beatrice, 343

Boy Names

  1. Liam, 695 baby boys
  2. William, 659
  3. Thomas, 648
  4. Leo, 596
  5. Noah, 585
  6. Logan, 561
  7. Nathan, 505
  8. Felix, 492
  9. Raphael, 489
  10. Edouard, 482 (tied)
  11. Emile, 482 (tied)

In the girls’ top 10, Rosalie re-entered and ousted Zoe (now ranked 15th).

In the boys’ top 10, Raphael and Emile replaced Jacob (now ranked 12th).

Here are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Allegresse, Berangere, Clarity, Daxia, Elixanne, Fenskerly, Flechanne, Gersia, Hugh-Laury, Izalie, Judicia-Wonder, Klermona, Lyriel, Merope, Nelli Nord, Nelsy, Ophelia Gipsy, Pleroma, Qetzia, Ryzlene, Sarassie, Thiziri, Tulugaq, Umi, Virgo, Waapikun, Xochitl Lilou, Yrina, ZackaelleAzai, Bonheur, Chalifix, Chogyal, Delson, Espoir, Fesley, Guerby, Heliodore, Inupak, Jeff-Smart, Kapukutat, Keawolf, Light-Shine, Miami-Liam Zion, Nendley, Ochre, Osric, Pelly, Quintus, Ronnoco, Skysun, Tiki Bolt, Ulrick, Vainqueur, Wibnerley, Xayren, Yalas, Zephyr Meteor

Background and/or possible explanations for some of the above:

  • Allegresse (allégresse) means “elation, joy, gladness” in French.
  • Hugh-Laury…a reference to English actor Hugh Laurie?
  • Merope is one of the seven Pleiades.
  • Tulugaq means “raven” in Inupiaq.
  • Bonhuer means “happiness” in French.
  • Espoir means “hope” in French.
  • Vainqueur means “conqueror” or “victor, winner” in French.

In 2018, the top two names in Quebec were Emma and William.

Sources: List of Baby Names – Retraite Québec, Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2019

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

According to the government of Alberta, the most popular baby names in the Canadian province in 2019 were Olivia and Noah.

Here are Alberta’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 229 baby girls
  2. Charlotte, 188
  3. Sophia, 181
  4. Emma, 178
  5. Ava, 161
  6. Amelia, 159
  7. Emily, 150
  8. Abigail, 141
  9. Hannah, 137
  10. Elizabeth, 124

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 275 baby boys
  2. Liam, 234
  3. Oliver, 225
  4. Ethan, 213
  5. Jack, 198
  6. William, 185
  7. Lucas, 174
  8. Owen, 167
  9. Benjamin, 163
  10. Jacob, 162

In the girls’ top 10, Hannah returned and ousted Harper.

In the boys’ top 10, Owen replaced Logan, Alexander, and James. (It’s uneven because there were two ties in the 2018 top 10.)

Rare baby names that were bestowed just once in Alberta last year include…

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Anesidora, Aviendha, Brungus, Castrence, Calluna, Doxa, Eilish, Fitia-Jane, Giannajoe, Historia, Isleigh, Jennathul, Kriscilla, Kipper, Kurdistan, Lilith-Luna, Lillix, Loonskin, Maxeld, Navaline, Neepin, Ovalah, Phoemella, Ruftael, Starbrit, Tenacious, Timely, Uzuvira, Verily, Waskway, Xanthal, Yuvleen, ZsanelleAbundance, Apollo-July, BlueJay, Couloir, Cousteau, Cowboy, Despot, Ellejon, Felix-Ivan, Glenter, Gravity, Handsome-Jack, Harmonick, Humbly, Iguttaq, Iskotew, Jenzieland, Kitterick, Luxton, Maxjay, Nomatic, Ozmo, Pétain, Ranxel, Revic, Sprocket, Thundersky, Uael, Varis, Whirlwind, Xiron, Ylan-Maël, Zagger

Explanations and/or potential influences for a few of the above:

  • Aviendha was a character from Wheel of Time book series (1990-2013) by author Robert Jordan.
  • Waskway is the Cree word for “birch” or “birch tree.”
  • Couloir is the word for “a steep gully in alpine terrain” (from the French word for “corridor” or “hallway”).
  • Iguttaq is the Inuktitut word for “bumblebee.”
  • Iskotew is the Cree word for “fire.”
  • Nomatic is a company that creates minimalist travel products.
  • Revic (“revolutionary” + “optics”) is a company that makes rifle scopes.

In 2018, the top two names in Alberta were Olivia and Liam.

Sources: Alberta’s Top Baby Names, Alberta reveals top baby names of 2019, Online Cree Dictionary, Couloir – Avalanche.org

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Popular baby names in Gibraltar, 2018 & 2019

Flag of Gibraltar
Flag of Gibraltar

I recently discovered that Gibraltar, a 2.6-square mile British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of Spain, has its own baby name rankings!

According to the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the most popular baby names in Gibraltar in 2018 were Emma and James and in 2019 were Olivia and Ethan.

Here are all the names given to 3 or more babies in 2018 (during which a total of 402 babies were born):

Girl Names, 2018

  1. Emma, 5 baby girls
  2. Mia, 4
  3. Sophia, 4
  4. Aria, 3
  5. Ava, 3

Boy Names, 2018

  1. James, 6 baby boys
  2. Alexander, 5 (tie)
  3. Ethan, 5 (tie)
  4. Leo, 5 (tie)
  5. Logan, 5 (tie)
  6. Jack, 4 (five-way tie)
  7. Lucas, 4 (five-way tie)
  8. Michael, 4 (five-way tie)
  9. Noah, 4 (five-way tie)
  10. Ryan, 4 (five-way tie)
  11. Evan, 3 (six-way tie)
  12. Jamie, 3 (six-way tie)
  13. Jesse, 3 (six-way tie)
  14. Leon, 3 (six-way tie)
  15. Theo, 3 (six-way tie)
  16. Tiago, 3 (six-way tie)

(If you want to compare these to the equivalent rankings for England and Wales, there’s the link.)

The unique names bestowed just once in Gibraltar in 2018 include…

  • Girl names: Ainara, Daura, Diae, Nuria, Rharmaini
  • Boy names: Amitai, Cayetano, Mordechai, Shams, Tzion

And here are all the names given to 3 or more babies in 2019 (during which a total of 423 babies were born):

Girl Names, 2019

  1. Olivia, 9 baby girls
  2. Lucia, 6
  3. Robyn, 4 (tie)
  4. Sofia, 4 (tie)
  5. Ava, 3 (four-way tie)
  6. Celine, 3 (four-way tie)
  7. Lily, 3 (four-way tie)
  8. Maya, 3 (four-way tie)

Boy Names, 2019

  1. Ethan, 6 baby boys
  2. Jamie, 5 (tie)
  3. Thomas, 5 (tie)
  4. Jack, 4 (three-way tie)
  5. Leo, 4 (three-way tie)
  6. Oliver, 4 (three-way tie)
  7. Dylan, 3 (eight-way tie)
  8. George, 3 (eight-way tie)
  9. Jacob, 3 (eight-way tie)
  10. James, 3 (eight-way tie)
  11. Jayden, 3 (eight-way tie)
  12. Kian, 3 (eight-way tie)
  13. Theo, 3 (eight-way tie)
  14. Tyler, 3 (eight-way tie)

The unique names bestowed just once in 2019 include…

  • Girl names: Ilythia, Lamis, Mirtel, Sirine, Tais
  • Boy names: Brath, Dimitar, Haron, Levin-Lee, Theon

And I did find one more interesting thing: In May of 2017, local newspaper Panorama conducted a survey to determine “the most popular names among boys and girls aged 12” — so, kids born in or around the year 2005 — and came up with…

  1. Emma, 27 girls
  2. Amy, 22
  3. Arianne, 17
  1. Julian, 25 boys
  2. Liam, 19 (tie)
  3. Ryan, 19 (tie)

Sources: Gibraltar’s most popular baby names of 2018 revealed, Ethan and Olivia; Gibraltar’s most popular baby names of 2019, Gibraltar – Wikipedia, What are the most popular children’s names on the Rock?

Image: Adapted from Flag of Gibraltar (public domain)