Jacque

Meaning & origin

Jacque is a rare French variant of Jacques, the French form of Jacob. First recorded in the U.S. in 1914, this name reached its peak popularity in 1950, when it appeared in the data with a modest count. Its trajectory has remained stable, never breaking into the national top 1000 and rarely given to more than a handful of boys per year. With no top states concentrating its use, Jacque remains a name chosen by a small number of parents seeking an alternative spelling of Jacques. Its meaning, 'supplanter,' ties it to the biblical patriarch Jacob, as does its connection to the common nickname Jack. While it may occasionally be used for girls, the Social Security Administration data shows it predominantly as a masculine name, a pattern consistent since its earliest recorded use.

Jacque is a French masculine name, a variant of Jacques, which itself derives from the Latin Iacobus, ultimately from the Hebrew Ya'aqov (Jacob). The name Jacob is traditionally interpreted as 'he who supplants' or 'holder of the heel,' referencing the biblical story of Jacob grasping Esau's heel at birth. Jacque emerged as a simplified spelling in French-speaking regions, though it is historically less common than Jacques. In the United States, it has seen occasional use since the early 20th century.