Anders vs Jakob
Anders 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Anders was ranked #293 and Jakob #9 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Anders was ranked #2263 and Jakob #1402 among boys in England and Wales.
Anders and Jakob over time
Anders and Jakob appear together in 2 published lists, across 107 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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, Jakob moved ahead of Anders in Norway · Boys — #33 and #43 the year before became #36 and #33.
- Longest-running competitions
Anders and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #9.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Anders #1519 in 2002, Jakob #287 in 2000.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Anders held the stronger position in 59 of those years, Jakob in 22.
Highest recorded here: Anders #3 in 1981, Jakob #6 in 2019.
The order changed in 2004: Jakob moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #33 and #43; by 2004 that had become #36 and #33.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anders #293, Jakob #9.
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1996–2024
Anders held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jakob in 26.
Highest recorded here: Anders #1519 in 2002, Jakob #287 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anders #2263, Jakob #1402.
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 | Anders | 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 | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #293 (2025) | Norway · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jakob has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission); Anders does not have one recorded yet.
- Anders and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jakob; Anders doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Anders
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #55 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: #3 among boys in Norway, in 1981 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #293 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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