Beau vs Jacob
Beau 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, Beau was ranked #164 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Beau was ranked #22 and Jacob #66 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Beau was ranked #25 and Jacob #42 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Beau was ranked #160 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Beau was ranked #110 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Beau was ranked #152 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Beau and Jacob over time
Beau and Jacob appear together in 5 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Beau in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Jacob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Beau 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Boys, Beau moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2021 as Jacob fell out of it to #57, having been #36 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Beau moved ahead of Jacob in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #37 and #30 the year before became #31 and #34.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Beau and Jacob averaged 44.1 places apart, ending at #25 and #42.
- Longest-running competitions
Beau and Jacob were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 30 years, from 1986 to 2025, ending at #25 and #42.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys30 shared years, 1986–2025
Beau held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Jacob in 28.
Highest recorded here: Beau #25 in 2025, Jacob #10 in 2015.
The order changed in 2024: Beau moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #37 and #30; by 2024 that had become #31 and #34.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Beau #25, Jacob #42.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 29.
Highest recorded here: Beau #109 in 2023, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Beau #110, Jacob #30.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2004–2025
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 19.
Highest recorded here: Beau #127 in 2023, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Beau #152, Jacob #62.
Northern Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 2009–2024
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 14.
Highest recorded here: Beau #150 in 2021, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Beau #164, Jacob #13.
New Zealand · Boys12 shared years, 2012–2023
Beau held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jacob in 9.
Highest recorded here: Beau #22 in 2023, Jacob #7 in 2012.
The order changed in 2021: Beau moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #40 and #36; by 2021 that had become #37 and #57.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Beau #22, Jacob #66.
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 | Beau | Jacob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #25 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (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
- Jacob has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin); Beau does not have one recorded yet.
- Beau has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Jacob.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Beau doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Beau
Popularity journey
First recorded1986
First recorded at #86 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1986 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded2012–2023
Highest recorded position: #22 among boys in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2012–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #25 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