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Jaap as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Jaap

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The baby name Jaap is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /jaːp/ (Dutch), approx. "yahp" or "yaap".

Jaap is Dutch in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Dutch
Pronunciation: /jaːp/ (Dutch), approx. "yahp" or "yaap"

What is the meaning of the name Jaap ?

The baby name Jaap is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /jaːp/ (Dutch), approx. "yahp" or "yaap".

Jaap is Dutch in Origin.

Jaap is a Dutch short form of Jacob and Jacobus, ultimately from Hebrew Ya'aqov, "holder of the heel; supplanter," the name of the biblical patriarch Jacob. In Dutch it's pronounced YAHp and functions both as a familiar nickname and as a straightforward given name. Afrikaans also uses Jaap, reflecting Dutch influence in South Africa.

In the Low Countries the name saw steady use in the 19th century and became especially common in the mid-20th century, before giving way to the fuller Jacobus/Jacob or the international James. Dutch cognates and pet forms include Sjaak, Koos, Kobus, and Japie; the formal bases are Jacob, Jakob, and Jacobus. International equivalents span James and Jamie (English), Jacques (French), Giacomo (Italian), Iago and Diego (Spanish/Galician), Tiago (Portuguese), Jakub (Polish/Czech), Jakob (German/Scandinavian), and Yakov/Ya'qub/Yakup (Slavic, Arabic, Turkish). The enduring appeal lies in its brisk, friendly sound and deep biblical roots.

Jaap has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Jaap

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Politician · Born 1948 · Kingdom of the Netherlands Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is a Dutch retired politician and diplomat best known for serving as Secretary General of NATO from 2004 to 2009. He also led the Christian Democratic Appeal and was the Netherlands’ Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

Jaap – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
NL Boys 0 #62 7,656 5,873
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
NL 0 #104 407 2,481
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
LU Boys 0 #218 3 4,970
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
Canada Girls 2024 #246 40 2,795
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
NA Boys 0 #250 4 6,830
Canada Boys 2024 #293 14 2,588
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
DK Boys 0 #329 4 7,401
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
PH Boys 0 #407 2 11,440
ZA 0 #437 11 14,421
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
HK Boys 0 #554 4 12,905
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
PS Boys 0 #559 3 10,655
KW Girls 0 #561 1 19,177
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BH 0 #587 1 17,937
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
CL Boys 0 #698 3 13,390
SG Boys 0 #735 5 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #805 2 18,755
NL Girls 0 #886 70 5,933
United States Girls 2022 #899 5 8,739
OM Boys 0 #914 5 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
Germany Boys 0 #939 14 5,697
CO Boys 0 #978 4 15,656
ZA Boys 0 #1,015 164 25,619
MX Boys 0 #1,031 3 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,143 1 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,177 6 25,439
MA 0 #1,198 2 20,986
DZ 0 #1,233 2 20,130
ZA Girls 0 #1,236 1 25,928
TR 0 #1,253 2 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,462 10 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,690 2 28,008

Jaap is popular in 46 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
AE
BG
BH
BR

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People also ask about Jaap

Jaap is predominantly a boy's name.
Jaap is a one syllable name, pronounced /jaːp/ (Dutch), approx. "yahp" or "yaap".
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Jaapje, Jacob, Jacobus, Jakob and Sjaak.
Across languages, Jaap has these equivalents: Jacob (English), Jakob (German/Scandinavian), Jacques (French), Giacomo (Italian), Santiago (Spanish), and 2 more.
Yes — Jaap ranked #246 in Canada in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 2 countries.
Jaap ranks highest in Canada (#246 in 2024).
Yes — 1 notable people named Jaap are in our database, including Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (Politician).