Jacob vs Steffen
Jacob and Steffencompared 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 2000, Jacob was ranked #28 and Steffen #2142 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Jacob was ranked #59 and Steffen #519 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Steffen over time
Jacob and Steffen appear together in 1 published list, across 70 years of shared records. Steffen held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Jacob in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Steffen 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 Steffen changed places 6 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 2025, ending at #59 and #519.
- Mirrored each other
Over 70 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jacob rose about as far as Steffen fell — from #214 and #341 in 1946 to #59 and #519 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Steffen were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 70 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #59 and #519.
List by list
Norway · Boys70 shared years, 1946–2025
Jacob held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Steffen in 41.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #34 in 2017, Steffen #24 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jacob #59, Steffen #519.
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 | Steffen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | Norway · Boys #519 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| 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); Steffen does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob and Steffen both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Steffen 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
Steffen
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #341 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among boys in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #519 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys