Gustav vs Jakob
Gustav 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, Gustav was ranked #19 and Jakob #9 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Gustav was ranked #2664 and Jakob #1124 among boys in England and Wales.
Gustav and Jakob over time
Gustav and Jakob appear together in 2 published lists, across 107 years of shared records. Jakob 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.
Jakob 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 Jakob changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #19 and #9.
- Longest-running competitions
Gustav and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #19 and #9.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Gustav held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Jakob in 75.
Highest recorded here: Gustav #19 in 2025, Jakob #6 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Gustav #19, Jakob #9.
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2025
Gustav held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jakob in 26.
Highest recorded here: Gustav #1786 in 2015, Jakob #287 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Gustav #2664, 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.
Side by side
| Field | Gustav | Jakob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #19 (2025) | Norway · Boys #9 (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
- Jakob has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission); Gustav does not have one recorded yet.
- Gustav and Jakob both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jakob; 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 #2664 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Jakob
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1124 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys