Jacobson

Jacobson is a surname of Northern European origin. It is a patronymic meaning “son of Jacob,” derived from the given name Jacob, which itself comes from the Hebrew Ya’akov, traditionally interpreted as “holder of the heel” or “supplanter.” The suffix “-son” indicates “son of” in many Germanic languages, and Jacobson is a common English-language form as well as a surname found among Scandinavian, German, and Jewish communities.

Variants of the name include Jakobsen, Jakobsson, Jacobsen, Jakobson, and other spellings that reflect local linguistic patterns. The surname is widespread in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and parts of Northern and Central Europe, reflecting historical migration and assimilation. In genealogical records, Jacobson often appears in immigration documents and census data from the 19th and 20th centuries, illustrating its broad adoption across different populations.

Related surnames include Jacobsen (Norwegian and Danish), Jakobsen (Danish and Norwegian), Jakobson (Slavic and Jewish contexts), and Jakobsson (Swedish). The name persists in contemporary usage as both a family name and, occasionally, in institutional or geographic names derived from individuals who bore the surname.