Donnchadh vs Jacob
Donnchadh 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 2023, Donnchadh was ranked #249 and Jacob #23 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Donnchadh was ranked #348 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Donnchadh and Jacob over time
Donnchadh and Jacob appear together in 2 published lists, across 49 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Donnchadh 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 1 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Donnchadh and Jacob were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 40 years, from 1980 to 2025, ending at #348 and #62.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys40 shared years, 1980–2025
Donnchadh held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Jacob in 34.
Highest recorded here: Donnchadh #215 in 1989, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order changed in 1991: Jacob moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #216 and #286; by 1991 that had become #230 and #230.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Donnchadh #348, Jacob #62.
Northern Ireland · Boys9 shared years, 2006–2023
Donnchadh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 9.
Highest recorded here: Donnchadh #249 in 2023, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Donnchadh #249, Jacob #23.
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 | Donnchadh | 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-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #348 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jacob has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin); Donnchadh does not have one recorded yet.
- Donnchadh and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Donnchadh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Donnchadh
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #270 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1969–2025
Highest recorded position: #212 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1978 (recorded 1969–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #348 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