George vs Jacob
George 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, George was ranked #6 and Jacob #30 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, George was ranked #7 and Jacob #66 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, George was ranked #40 and Jacob #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, George was ranked #24 and Jacob #42 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, George was ranked #48 and Jacob #27 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2023, George was ranked #364 and Jacob #60 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, George was ranked #112 and Jacob #62 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
George and Jacob over time
George and Jacob appear together in 6 published lists, across 244 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, George in 1.
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.
Jacob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, George 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2004, Jacob moved ahead of George in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #108 and #115 the year before became #151 and #134.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
George and Jacob changed places 6 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1977 and 2023, ending at #7 and #66.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, George and Jacob averaged 9.6 places apart, ending at #6 and #30.
- Longest-running competitions
George and Jacob were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 44 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #24 and #42.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1946–2023
George held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Jacob in 52.
Highest recorded here: George #253 in 1968, Jacob #34 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: George #364, Jacob #60.
New Zealand · Boys45 shared years, 1977–2023
George held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Jacob in 34.
Highest recorded here: George #5 in 2021, Jacob #6 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: George #7, Jacob #66.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys44 shared years, 1982–2025
George held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Jacob in 36.
Highest recorded here: George #24 in 2023, Jacob #10 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: George #24, Jacob #42.
Republic of Ireland · Boys40 shared years, 1980–2025
George held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Jacob in 24.
Highest recorded here: George #65 in 2019, Jacob #37 in 2016.
The order changed in 2004: Jacob moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #108 and #115; by 2004 that had become #151 and #134.
Most recent shared year, 2025: George #112, Jacob #62.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
George held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Jacob in 4.
Highest recorded here: George #2 in 2018, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: George #6, Jacob #30.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
George held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 28.
Highest recorded here: George #25 in 2023, Jacob #5 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: George #40, Jacob #13.
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 | George | Jacob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Farmer, earth-worker. | 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 | Greek | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɔːdʒ/ | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #24 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (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
- George is recorded with a Greek origin, while Jacob is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin origin.
- George and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- George's recorded meaning differs from Jacob's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
George
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #345 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in England and Wales, in 2018 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #24 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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