Namewise

Gunnar vs Jakob

Gunnar 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, Gunnar was ranked #250 and Jakob #9 among boys in Norway.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2025, Gunnar was ranked #3256 and Jakob #1124 among boys in England and Wales.

Gunnar and Jakob over time

Gunnar and Jakob appear together in 2 published lists, across 96 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.

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.

List by list

  • Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025

    Gunnar held the stronger position in 45 of those years, Jakob in 36.

    Highest recorded here: Gunnar #10 in 1946, Jakob #6 in 2019.

    The order changed in 1990: Jakob moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #186 and #213; by 1990 that had become #210 and #193.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Gunnar #250, Jakob #9.

  • England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 2009–2025

    Gunnar held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jakob in 15.

    Highest recorded here: Gunnar #1786 in 2018, Jakob #388 in 2013.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Gunnar #3256, Jakob #1124.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Gunnar

Pairs where Gunnar shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Jakob

Pairs where Jakob shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — longest-running competitions.

All longest-running competitions→

Other pairs from Norway lists

Pairs measured inside Norway's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

Norway overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 2020s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2020 and 2029.

The 2020s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Gunnar, Jakob
FieldGunnarJakob
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Editorially researched profile
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedA form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov.
OriginNot yet recordedHebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission
PronunciationNot yet recorded/ˈjɑː.kɔp/
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, NOGB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Boys #250 (2025)Norway · Boys #9 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recorded90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10094/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)60/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Jakob has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission); Gunnar does not have one recorded yet.
  • Gunnar and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
  • A meaning is recorded for Jakob; Gunnar doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.

How each name got here

Gunnar

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #13 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #3256 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Jakob

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #1124 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys