Calum vs Jacob
Calum 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, Calum was ranked #339 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Calum was ranked #176 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Calum was ranked #1675 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Calum was ranked #432 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Calum and Jacob over time
Calum and Jacob appear together in 3 published lists, across 90 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Calum in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Calum reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Jacob 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Calum and Jacob were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 34 years, from 1992 to 2025, ending at #432 and #62.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1997 they stood at #100 and #94 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 6 places apart; by 2024 they were #339 and #13.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys34 shared years, 1992–2025
Calum held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Jacob in 26.
Highest recorded here: Calum #44 in 2006, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Calum #432, Jacob #62.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Calum held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 29.
Highest recorded here: Calum #91 in 1996, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Calum #1675, Jacob #30.
Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024
Calum held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jacob in 23.
Highest recorded here: Calum #21 in 2006, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Calum #339, 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 | Calum | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #432 (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); Calum does not have one recorded yet.
- Calum and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Calum doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Calum
Popularity journey
First recorded1992
First recorded at #298 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1992 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2006 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · 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