Jacob vs Ludvig
Jacob and Ludvigcompared 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, Jacob was ranked #59 and Ludvig #13 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Ludvig over time
Jacob and Ludvig appear together in 1 published list, across 59 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ludvig 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.
Jacob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ludvig 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 took the other's place near the top
In Norway · Boys, Ludvig moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2021 as Jacob fell out of it to #60, having been #44 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2021, Ludvig moved ahead of Jacob in Norway · Boys — #44 and #46 the year before became #60 and #28.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jacob and Ludvig changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #59 and #13.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Ludvig were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 59 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #59 and #13.
List by list
Norway · Boys59 shared years, 1945–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 49 of those years, Ludvig in 10.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #34 in 2017, Ludvig #13 in 2025.
The order changed in 2021: Ludvig moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #44 and #46; by 2021 that had become #60 and #28.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #59, Ludvig #13.
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 | Ludvig |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | Norway · Boys #13 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| 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); Ludvig does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob and Ludvig both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Ludvig 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
Ludvig
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #287 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: #13 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys