Jacob vs Lucas
Jacob and Lucascompared 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 Lucas #30 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #42 and Lucas #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Jacob was ranked #66 and Lucas #16 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jacob was ranked #27 and Lucas #23 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #59 and Lucas #24 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jacob was ranked #30 and Lucas #25 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #62 and Lucas #64 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Jacob and Lucas over time
Jacob and Lucas appear together in 6 published lists, across 191 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Lucas in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 3 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 3 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Lucas moved ahead of Jacob in England and Wales · Boys — #24 and #25 the year before became #30 and #25.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jacob and Lucas changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1982 and 2025, ending at #42 and #14.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Jacob and Lucas averaged 33.0 places apart, ending at #30 and #25.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Lucas were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 34 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #42 and #14.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Jacob #37 in 2016, Lucas #55 in 2018.
List by list
Norway · Boys44 shared years, 1976–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Lucas in 21.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #34 in 2017, Lucas #12 in 2012.
The order changed in 2005: Lucas moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #69 and #94; by 2005 that had become #81 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #59, Lucas #24.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys34 shared years, 1982–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Lucas in 19.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #10 in 1999, Lucas #2 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #42, Lucas #14.
Republic of Ireland · Boys33 shared years, 1993–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Lucas in 4.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #37 in 2016, Lucas #55 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #62, Lucas #64.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jacob held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Lucas in 2.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #4 in 2013, Lucas #17 in 2009.
The order changed in 2024: Lucas moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #24 and #25; by 2024 that had become #30 and #25.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jacob #30, Lucas #25.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Jacob held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Lucas in 1.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #5 in 2017, Lucas #22 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jacob #13, Lucas #30.
New Zealand · Boys23 shared years, 2001–2023
Jacob held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Lucas in 12.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #6 in 2003, Lucas #4 in 2011.
The order changed in 2016: Lucas moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #10 and #14; by 2016 that had become #25 and #8.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Jacob #66, Lucas #16.
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 | Lucas |
|---|---|---|
| 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'. | The Latin form of the Greek name Loukas, ultimately linked to the English name Luke. The deeper root meaning is itself disputed — possibly a shortened form of 'from Lucania' (a region of southern Italy), or alternatively derived from the Latin name Lucius. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin | Latin, via Greek Loukas |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ | /ˈluːkəs/ |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #14 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| 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 Lucas is recorded with a Latin, via Greek Loukas origin.
- Jacob and Lucas both have 2 syllables.
- Jacob's recorded meaning differs from Lucas's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, 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
Lucas
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #607 among boys in Norway in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1980–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2011 (recorded 1980–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys