David vs Jakob
David 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Jakob #9 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2020, David was ranked #33 and Jakob #556 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2002, David was ranked #40 and Jakob #100 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Jakob #1402 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, David was ranked #88 and Jakob #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
David and Jakob over time
David and Jakob appear together in 3 published lists, across 124 years of shared records. David 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.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Jakob 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
David and Jakob changed places 8 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #88 and #9.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #9.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — David #7 in 2001, Jakob #317 in 2001.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Jakob in 31.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Jakob #6 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Jakob #9.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Jakob in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Jakob #287 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Jakob #1402.
Republic of Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 2001–2020
David held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Jakob in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #7 in 2001, Jakob #317 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: David #33, 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 | David | Jakob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | 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 | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /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 #45 (2025) | Norway · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jakob is recorded with a Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission origin.
- David and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
- David'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
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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