Jacob vs Lachlan
Jacob and Lachlancompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jacob was ranked #13 and Lachlan #278 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jacob was ranked #27 and Lachlan #88 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jacob was ranked #30 and Lachlan #328 among boys in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #42 and Lachlan #34 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Jacob was ranked #66 and Lachlan #34 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #62 and Lachlan #317 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Jacob and Lachlan over time
Jacob and Lachlan appear together in 5 published lists, across 132 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Lachlan in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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 4 of those lists, and Lachlan 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2025, Lachlan moved ahead of Jacob in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #34 and #38 the year before became #42 and #34.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jacob and Lachlan changed places 7 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1982 and 2025, ending at #42 and #34.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 43 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Jacob and Lachlan averaged 11.0 places apart, ending at #42 and #34.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Lachlan were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 43 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #42 and #34.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Jacob #37 in 2016, Lachlan #263 in 2016.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys43 shared years, 1982–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Lachlan in 22.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #10 in 1999, Lachlan #2 in 2005.
The order changed in 2025: Lachlan moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #34 and #38; by 2025 that had become #42 and #34.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #42, Lachlan #34.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jacob held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Lachlan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #4 in 2013, Lachlan #328 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jacob #30, Lachlan #328.
New Zealand · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2023
Jacob held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Lachlan in 8.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #6 in 2003, Lachlan #13 in 2018.
The order changed in 2016: Lachlan moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #10 and #25; by 2016 that had become #25 and #21.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Jacob #66, Lachlan #34.
Republic of Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 1997–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Lachlan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #37 in 2016, Lachlan #263 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #62, Lachlan #317.
Northern Ireland · Boys10 shared years, 1998–2024
Jacob held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Lachlan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #7 in 2016, Lachlan #226 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jacob #13, Lachlan #278.
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 | Lachlan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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'. | Traditionally understood as 'Viking' or 'Scandinavian' via its root name — someone associated with the land of the Norsemen. A secondary reading of that root gives 'land of the lakes'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin | Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Lochlann ('Scandinavia') |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ | /ˈlɒklən/ |
| 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, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #34 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jacob is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin origin, while Lachlan is recorded with a Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Lochlann ('Scandinavia') origin.
- Jacob and Lachlan both have 2 syllables.
- Jacob's recorded meaning differs from Lachlan's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Lachlan
Popularity journey
First recorded1982
First recorded at #95 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1982 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2005 (recorded 1982–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #34 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys