Jacquelyn is an American spelling of Jacqueline, the French feminine form of Jacques, which goes back to the Hebrew Jacob and means "supplanter" or "holder of the heel". The -lyn ending brought the name in line with Carolyn and Marilyn when it was at its most popular in the mid-20th century. Jacquelyn ranked number 359 in 2000, slid out of the US top 1000 in the following years and stands at number 2286 in 2025.