Feilim vs Jacob
Feilim 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, Feilim was ranked #404 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2017, Feilim was ranked #547 and Jacob #41 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Feilim and Jacob over time
Feilim and Jacob appear together in 1 published list, across 11 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Feilim 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.
Feilim reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1995, Jacob moved ahead of Feilim in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #264 and #321 the year before became #334 and #198.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys11 shared years, 1980–2017
Feilim held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Jacob in 10.
Highest recorded here: Feilim #264 in 1980, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order changed in 1995: Jacob moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #264 and #321; by 1995 that had become #334 and #198.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Feilim #547, Jacob #41.
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 | Feilim | 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 | Northern Ireland · Boys #404 (2024) | 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) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jacob has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin); Feilim does not have one recorded yet.
- Feilim and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Feilim doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Feilim
Popularity journey
First recorded1980
First recorded at #264 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1980 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1980–2017
Highest recorded position: #264 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1980 (recorded 1980–2017).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern 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