Blake vs Jacob
Blake 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, Blake was ranked #144 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2016, Blake was ranked #85 and Jacob #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Blake was ranked #41 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Blake was ranked #104 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Blake was ranked #58 and Jacob #66 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Blake was ranked #156 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Blake and Jacob over time
Blake and Jacob appear together in 5 published lists, across 157 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Blake in 0.
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 2 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 2023, Blake moved ahead of Jacob in New Zealand · Boys — #70 and #49 the year before became #58 and #66.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Blake and Jacob changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1982 and 2016, ending at #85 and #14.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 35 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Blake and Jacob averaged 18.8 places apart, ending at #85 and #14.
- Longest-running competitions
Blake and Jacob were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 35 years, from 1982 to 2016, ending at #85 and #14.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Blake #56 in 2013, Jacob #4 in 2013.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys35 shared years, 1982–2016
Blake held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jacob in 32.
Highest recorded here: Blake #21 in 1995, Jacob #10 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Blake #85, Jacob #14.
Republic of Ireland · Boys35 shared years, 1990–2025
Blake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 35.
Highest recorded here: Blake #94 in 2022, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Blake #156, Jacob #62.
New Zealand · Boys31 shared years, 1993–2023
Blake held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jacob in 28.
Highest recorded here: Blake #14 in 2012, Jacob #6 in 2003.
The order changed in 2023: Blake moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #70 and #49; by 2023 that had become #58 and #66.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Blake #58, Jacob #66.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Blake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 29.
Highest recorded here: Blake #56 in 2013, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Blake #104, Jacob #30.
Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024
Blake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 27.
Highest recorded here: Blake #62 in 2013, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Blake #144, 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 | Blake | Jacob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | 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 | Not yet recorded | /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, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #156 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 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); Blake does not have one recorded yet.
- Blake and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Blake 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
Blake
Popularity journey
First recorded1982
First recorded at #82 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1982 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1993–2023
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in New Zealand, in 2012 (recorded 1993–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
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