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It's a feminized pet form of Jacques, from Hebrew via Latin Iacobus. The exact meaning is uncertain, but a prominent Yaqobal (said to mean "may the lord protect") who lived in Edom is mentioned in a contemporary Egyptian document. Much of the biblical story plays on the resemblance of the name to the Hebrew word for 'heel" and it's derivatives, such as "supplant", "trip" and "betray". The name may have been altered to remove reference to "bal" (lord), a term which became synonymous with pagan Canaanite deities.

This message was edited 4/11/2018, 7:21 AM