Biblical Hebrew origin
Source-reportedFrom Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “May He Heel”), from the third-person singular masculine imperfective form of the Semitic verb "to heel" (with various meanings), in turn from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel of the foot”).
Sources for this account (3)
- Wiktionary: IacobusCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- French Wiktionary: IacobusCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Portuguese Wiktionary: IacobusCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

