Ajay vs Jakob
Ajay and Jakobcompared 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 2014, Ajay was ranked #398 and Jakob #281 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2020, Ajay was ranked #381 and Jakob #556 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ajay was ranked #826 and Jakob #1402 among boys in England and Wales.
Ajay and Jakob over time
Ajay and Jakob appear together in 2 published lists, across 42 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Jakob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Ajay in none. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ajay and Jakob changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #826 and #1402.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Ajay #287 in 2002, Jakob #287 in 2000.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ajay held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Jakob in 16.
Highest recorded here: Ajay #287 in 2002, Jakob #287 in 2000.
The order changed in 2023: Ajay moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #878 and #746; by 2023 that had become #728 and #1139.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ajay #826, Jakob #1402.
Republic of Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2003–2020
Ajay held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Jakob in 1.
Highest recorded here: Ajay #306 in 2018, Jakob #448 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Ajay #381, Jakob #556.
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 | Ajay | Jakob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #350 (2024) | Norway · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 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
- Jakob has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission); Ajay does not have one recorded yet.
- Ajay and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jakob; Ajay doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Ajay
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #414 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2006–2023
Highest recorded position: #257 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2006 (recorded 2006–2023).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #826 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Jakob
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #150 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys