I have been thinking about this name since I started watching actress [name]Cobie[/name] Smulders. What are your thoughts about jacoba?
I don’t like it- I think [name]Jacob[/name] is such a popular boys-only name that even with the -a ending, it still looks masculine.
I agree with @namelover77, it’s way to popular as a boys name. I end up hearing something along the lines of “[name]Jacob[/name], uh, could you set the table?”
It’s actually pronounced yah-KOH-bah. I think it’s intriguing, but I think a lot of people would say it wrong. My first thought was [name]Cobie[/name] Smulders, though–I can’t really disassociate it from her. I like [name]Josefa[/name]/[name]Giuseppina[/name] more as feminine variations than [name]Jacoba[/name]–and they have a bit of a similar feel/flow. I would love to meet a little [name]Giuseppina[/name]!
I could deal with it if its more like [name]Jacobi[/name], i.e. I could deal with the hard J (though the ones I’ve heard have the yah sound) if its at least ja-KOE-bah, but [name]JAKE[/name]-oh-buh would grate my nerves to bits in no time at all.
I like feminizations but [name]Jacoba[/name] wouldn’t crack my top ten, personally. And I do like some clunky ones. I’ve heard [name]Jacobina[/name] and that’s a bit softer but I’d still prefer [name]Benjamina[/name] or [name]Wilhelmina[/name]. I also like some feminizations that don’t end in -a, [name]Simone[/name] and [name]Thomasin[/name]/[name]Tamsin[/name] leap to mind.
[name]Jacinta[/name], [name]Juanita[/name], and [name]Joaquina[/name] all seem a bit more melodious than [name]Jacoba[/name] to me, without being as popular as [name]Josephine[/name]/[name]Josefina[/name] etc. but that could just be me.
[name]Cobie[/name] is adorable, but I don’t know if it ages well. It’s a strange name for a grandmother, but [name]Jacoba[/name] isn’t.
[name]Jacoba[/name] doesn’t appeal to me though. If my name were [name]Jacoba[/name], I would go by [name]Cobie[/name] too.
I thought it was unusual. [name]Don[/name]'t think I would use it but it’s different .
I agree with namelover77 (2nd time in a row that I’m saying this!) 
No matter what the pronunciation is, seeing it written out makes it unattractive.
I find [name]Jacoba[/name] to be rather formal. And while [name]Cobie[/name] would be a cute nn, the only [name]Cobie[/name]/[name]Coby[/name]'s I’ve met have been Dutch women of my mother’s generation (over 50). Unfortunately to most Dutch ears it would sound like a mom name and be difficult to picture on a child!