Daniel vs Jakob
Daniel 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2020, Daniel was ranked #4 and Jakob #556 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2002, Daniel was ranked #8 and Jakob #100 among boys in New Zealand.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Daniel was ranked #66 and Jakob #9 among boys in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Daniel was ranked #14 and Jakob #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #59 and Jakob #1402 among boys in England and Wales.
Daniel and Jakob over time
Daniel and Jakob appear together in 3 published lists, across 124 years of shared records. Daniel held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Jakob in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Daniel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Jakob in 1. 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
Daniel and Jakob changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #66 and #9.
- Longest-running competitions
Daniel and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #66 and #9.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Daniel held the stronger position in 54 of those years, Jakob in 27.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 1989, Jakob #6 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #66, Jakob #9.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Daniel held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Jakob in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1996, Jakob #287 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #59, Jakob #1402.
Republic of Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 2001–2020
Daniel held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Jakob in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 2009, Jakob #317 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Daniel #4, Jakob #556.
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 | Daniel | Jakob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'God is my judge', referencing the biblical prophet Daniel. | A form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdænjəl/ | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #13 (2025) | Norway · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Daniel is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jakob is recorded with a Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission origin.
- Daniel and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
- Daniel's recorded meaning differs from Jakob's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Daniel
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #280 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1954–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #64 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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