Jacob vs Morten
Jacob and Mortencompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2015, Jacob was ranked #5 and Morten #4747 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #59 and Morten #214 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Morten over time
Jacob and Morten appear together in 2 published lists, across 90 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Morten reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2002, Jacob moved ahead of Morten in Norway · Boys — #76 and #61 the year before became #65 and #73.
- Mirrored each other
Over 79 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jacob rose about as far as Morten fell — from #273 and #107 in 1945 to #59 and #214 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Morten were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 79 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #59 and #214.
List by list
Norway · Boys79 shared years, 1945–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Morten in 55.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #34 in 2017, Morten #3 in 1973.
The order changed in 2002: Jacob moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #76 and #61; by 2002 that had become #65 and #73.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #59, Morten #214.
England and Wales · Boys11 shared years, 1997–2015
Jacob held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Morten in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #4 in 2014, Morten #2189 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Jacob #5, Morten #4747.
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 | Morten |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | Norway · Boys #214 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jacob has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek and Latin); Morten does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob and Morten both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Morten doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Morten
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #107 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: #3 among boys in Norway, in 1973 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #214 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys