Jacob vs Jøran
Jacob and Jørancompared 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 2013, Jacob was ranked #60 and Jøran #535 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Jøran over time
Jacob and Jøran appear together in 1 published list, across 54 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Jøran 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.
Jøran 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jacob and Jøran changed places 15 times in Norway · Boys between 1954 and 2013, ending at #60 and #535.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Jøran were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 54 years, from 1954 to 2013, ending at #60 and #535.
List by list
Norway · Boys54 shared years, 1954–2013
Jacob held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Jøran in 20.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #55 in 2012, Jøran #220 in 1992.
The order changed in 1989: Jacob moved ahead. In 1988 they stood at #250 and #230; by 1989 that had become #218 and #247.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Jacob #60, Jøran #535.
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 | Jacob | Jøran |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | 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'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | Norway · Boys #535 (2013) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jacob has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin); Jøran does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Jøran.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Jøran doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
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
Jøran
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #230 among boys in Norway in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2013
Highest recorded position: #220 among boys in Norway, in 1992 (recorded 1954–2013).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2013
Most recently recorded at #535 among boys in Norway, in 2013.
Norway · Boys