Gustav vs Jacob
Gustav 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Gustav was ranked #19 and Jacob #59 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Gustav was ranked #2325 and Jacob #24 among boys in England and Wales.
Gustav and Jacob over time
Gustav and Jacob appear together in 2 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Gustav in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Jacob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Gustav 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
Gustav and Jacob changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #19 and #59.
- Longest-running competitions
Gustav and Jacob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 79 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #19 and #59.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Gustav #1786 in 2015, Jacob #4 in 2013.
List by list
Norway · Boys79 shared years, 1945–2025
Gustav held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Jacob in 52.
Highest recorded here: Gustav #19 in 2025, Jacob #34 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Gustav #19, Jacob #59.
England and Wales · Boys25 shared years, 1997–2023
Gustav held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jacob in 25.
Highest recorded here: Gustav #1786 in 2015, Jacob #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Gustav #2325, Jacob #24.
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 | Gustav | 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-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #19 (2025) | 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); Gustav does not have one recorded yet.
- Gustav and Jacob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Gustav doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Gustav
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #154 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: #19 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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