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Home › Baby Names Directory › Jacoba

Jacoba

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Jacoba

Pronounced yah-KOH-buh /jɑːˈkoʊ.bə/Low

Meaning: Jacoba is the Latin and Dutch feminine form of Jacobus, the source of both Jacob and James. It carries the traditional biblical meaning 'supplanter' or 'holder of the heel,' from the Hebrew Ya'aqov. It is an established name, not a coinage.Medium

In 30 seconds: Jacoba is the Latin and Dutch feminine of Jacob and James, meaning 'supplanter, holder of the heel.' It stayed rare, peaking in the early nineteen-twenties (said yah-KOH-buh).
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Origin MediumLatin, Dutch
MeaningJacoba is the Latin and Dutch feminine form of Jacobus, the source of both Jacob and James. It carries the traditional biblical meaning 'supplanter' or 'holder of the heel,' from the Hebrew Ya'aqov. It is an established name, not a coinage.
U.S. rank (2023)#16133 ↗ Rising
2023 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 296

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192119002023

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Jacoba is the Latin and Dutch feminine of Jacobus, the shared ancestor of Jacob and James. Its meaning, 'supplanter' or 'holder of the heel,' comes from the Hebrew Ya'aqov and the story of the patriarch Jacob. Long used in the Low Countries, it is a genuine traditional name rather than an invention.

Jacoba was never common in the United States, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak around 1921, though it lingered thinly in the records for a century. A girl named Jacoba then would be over a hundred today.

Did you know? Jacoba is a proper female counterpart to both Jacob and James, since all three grow from the same Latin Jacobus, itself from the Hebrew name of the patriarch Jacob.
Overall data confidence 60%
References - Jacoba — Latin/Dutch feminine of Jacobus (Jacob/James); Hebrew Ya'aqov

Variations

JacobinaJacobineJacquetta

Nicknames

CobaCobie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Jacoba…

Jacqueline— another feminine of the Jacob/James family
Wilhelmina— a like classic feminized Latin name
Roberta— a similar formal female form of a male name
Philippa— a like traditional Latinate girl's name

Explore names like Jacoba

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Jacoba mean?

It is the Latin and Dutch feminine of Jacob and James, meaning 'supplanter' or 'holder of the heel.'

How do you pronounce Jacoba?

It is said yah-KOH-buh /jɑːˈkoʊ.bə/, three syllables with the stress in the middle.

Is Jacoba a boy or girl name?

Jacoba is used here as a girl's name.

How popular is Jacoba?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak in the early nineteen-twenties.

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