Casper vs Jacob
Casper 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, Casper was ranked #404 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Casper was ranked #330 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Casper was ranked #192 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Casper was ranked #76 and Jacob #59 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Casper was ranked #509 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Casper and Jacob over time
Casper and Jacob appear together in 3 published lists, across 93 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Casper in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Jacob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Casper 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
Casper and Jacob changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1973 and 2025, ending at #76 and #59.
- Longest-running competitions
Casper and Jacob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 46 years, from 1973 to 2025, ending at #76 and #59.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Casper #412 in 2016, Jacob #37 in 2016.
List by list
Norway · Boys46 shared years, 1973–2025
Casper held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Jacob in 44.
Highest recorded here: Casper #61 in 2023, Jacob #34 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Casper #76, Jacob #59.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Casper held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 29.
Highest recorded here: Casper #192 in 2024, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Casper #192, Jacob #30.
Republic of Ireland · Boys18 shared years, 2005–2025
Casper held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 18.
Highest recorded here: Casper #412 in 2016, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Casper #509, Jacob #62.
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 | Casper | 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 | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #76 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 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); Casper does not have one recorded yet.
- Casper and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Casper doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Casper
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #579 among boys in Norway in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1973–2025
Highest recorded position: #61 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1973–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #76 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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