Jacobi is a name of German origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Yaakov." In Hebrew, Yaakov means "supplanter" or "held by the heel," which refers to the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with an angel and being injured in his hip. The name was later Latinized to "Jacobus," from which the French form "Jacques" is derived.
The name Jacobi is a variant spelling of Jacob, but it has its own unique history and significance. It is often associated with the German mathematician Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (1804-1851), who made significant contributions to the fields of elliptic functions and differential equations. The name Jacobi is also found in other European cultures, including Scandinavian and Slavic countries.
In terms of its meaning, Jacobi is most commonly associated with the biblical story of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the Bible, Jacob is portrayed as a cunning and resourceful man, but also someone who experiences many trials and tribulations throughout his life.
Today, Jacobi remains a popular name in many cultures around the world. It is often used to express admiration for the biblical figure of Jacob or the mathematician Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, or simply as an attractive-sounding name with a strong historical pedigree.
The name Jacobi has seen a significant increase in popularity over the past few decades in the United States. From just eight births in 1973, the number of babies named Jacobi grew steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, reaching 29 births each year in both 1982 and 1983.
The 1990s marked a turning point for the name's popularity. The number of annual births with the name Jacobi more than doubled between 1989 (33 births) and 1992 (90 births), indicating that many parents were drawn to this distinctive name during this time.
This trend continued into the early 2000s, with the highest peak occurring in 2007 when there were 148 babies named Jacobi. Since then, the popularity of the name has fluctuated but remained relatively high, with an average of around 130 births per year between 2006 and 2020.
In recent years, the number of births with the name Jacobi has started to decline slightly. There were 122 births in both 2020 and 2021, and a further dip to 117 births in 2021 suggests that the name may be losing some of its former popularity.
However, even with this recent decrease, the total number of babies named Jacobi in the United States between 1973 and 2021 is an impressive 4,043. This demonstrates the enduring appeal of the name Jacobi over several generations.