Adam vs Jacob
Adam and Jacobcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #29 and Jacob #59 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #72 and Jacob #42 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Jacob #66 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Jacob over time
Adam and Jacob appear together in 6 published lists, across 257 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Jacob in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2004, Jacob moved ahead of Adam in England and Wales · Boys — #18 and #27 the year before became #24 and #23.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Jacob changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1952 and 2025, ending at #29 and #59.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Adam and Jacob averaged 18.0 places apart, ending at #35 and #30.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Jacob were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 44 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #72 and #42.
List by list
Norway · Boys71 shared years, 1952–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Jacob in 21.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Jacob #34 in 2017.
The order changed in 2016: Adam moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #51 and #50; by 2016 that had become #52 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #29, Jacob #59.
New Zealand · Boys45 shared years, 1977–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Jacob in 31.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Jacob #6 in 2003.
The order changed in 1993: Jacob moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #30 and #31; by 1993 that had become #31 and #17.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Jacob #66.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys44 shared years, 1982–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Jacob in 33.
Highest recorded here: Adam #7 in 1982, Jacob #10 in 1999.
The order changed in 1993: Jacob moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #20 and #25; by 1993 that had become #27 and #19.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #72, Jacob #42.
Republic of Ireland · Boys40 shared years, 1980–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Jacob in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Jacob #62.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Jacob in 21.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order changed in 2004: Jacob moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #18 and #27; by 2004 that had become #24 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Jacob #30.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Jacob in 12.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order changed in 2013: Jacob moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #11 and #12; by 2013 that had become #12 and #8.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Jacob #13.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Adam | Jacob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | Commonly interpreted as 'holder of the heel' or 'supplanter', referencing the biblical account of Jacob being born grasping his twin brother Esau's heel. A less common alternate theory holds it may derive from a longer form meaning roughly 'may God protect'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jacob is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin origin.
- Adam and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- Adam's recorded meaning differs from Jacob's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Jacob
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #273 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in England and Wales, in 2013 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #42 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys