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Jacob Family History

Jacob Surname Meaning

Jewish, English, Welsh, German, Portuguese, French (mainly Alsace and Lorraine), Walloon, Breton, Dutch, Flemish, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian: derivative via Latin Jacob(us) from the Hebrew personal name Ya‘aqob (Yaakov). In the Bible, this is the name of the crafty younger twin brother of Esau (Genesis 226) who took advantage of the latter's hunger and impetuousness to persuade him to part with his birthright ‘for a mess of potage’. The name is traditionally interpreted as coming from Hebrew akev ‘heel’: Jacob is said to have been born holding on to Esau's heel.

In English usage, the name Jacob is regarded as distinct from the name James but they are of identical origin. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, for example, Assyrian/Chaldean or Arabic Yaqub, Yakub, Yacoub, or Yacob, Slovenian Jakob, and Jakop, Czech and Slovak Jakub and also their patronymics and other derivatives (see examples at Jacobs and Jacobson).

The name Jacob is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Chacko), but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after the immigration of its bearers to the US.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Jacob family from?

You can see how Jacob families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jacob family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Jacob families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 736 Jacob families living in London. This was about 27% of all the recorded Jacob's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Jacob families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jacob surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Jacob ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Jacob. 7% of Jacob men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Jacob women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jacob were Colliery Hewer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Jacob | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Colliery Hewer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Private Means
    6%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%

What Jacob family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 183,000 census records available for the last name Jacob. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jacob census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Jacob

Passenger Lists

There are 56,000 immigration records available for the last name Jacob. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 30,000 military records available for the last name Jacob. For the veterans among your Jacob ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Jacob family history

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What is the average Jacob lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Jacob life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Jacob in 1940 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Jacob

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Jacob ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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