Jacob vs Sturla
Jacob and Sturlacompared 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 2012, Jacob was ranked #55 and Sturla #562 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Sturla over time
Jacob and Sturla appear together in 1 published list, across 64 years of shared records. Jacob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Sturla in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Sturla 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 Sturla changed places 14 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2012, ending at #55 and #562.
- Mirrored each other
Over 64 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jacob rose about as far as Sturla fell — from #273 and #310 in 1945 to #55 and #562 in 2012.
- Longest-running competitions
Jacob and Sturla were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 64 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #55 and #562.
List by list
Norway · Boys64 shared years, 1945–2012
Jacob held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Sturla in 17.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #55 in 2012, Sturla #211 in 1948.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Jacob #55, Sturla #562.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Jacob
Pairs where Jacob shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Jacob vs Ashley
In 1996 they stood at #35 and #40 in England and Wales · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2024 they were #30 and #880.
Jacob · Ashley · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Jacob vs Ben
In 1996 they stood at #35 and #34 in England and Wales · Boys, 1 places apart; by 2024 they were #30 and #509.
Jacob · Ben · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Jacob vs Colin
In 1997 they stood at #94 and #96 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2021 they were #16 and #433.
Jacob · Colin · 21 shared years, 1997–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
- Jacob vs Barry
In 1997 they stood at #94 and #90 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2022 they were #19 and #414.
Jacob · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Jacob | Sturla |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #42 (2025) | Norway · Boys #562 (2012) |
| 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); Sturla does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob and Sturla both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Sturla 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
Sturla
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #310 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2012
Highest recorded position: #211 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #562 among boys in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Boys