Jacob vs Villy
Jacob and Villycompared 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 1966, Jacob was ranked #265 and Villy #556 among boys in Norway.
Jacob and Villy over time
Jacob and Villy appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Villy held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Jacob 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.
Villy 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 Villy changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1966, ending at #265 and #556.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Jacob #209 in 1948, Villy #163 in 1946.
List by list
Norway · Boys19 shared years, 1945–1966
Jacob held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Villy in 14.
Highest recorded here: Jacob #209 in 1948, Villy #163 in 1946.
The order changed in 1966: Jacob moved ahead. In 1965 they stood at #454 and #442; by 1966 that had become #265 and #556.
Most recent shared year, 1966: Jacob #265, Villy #556.
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 | Villy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #556 (1966) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| 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); Villy does not have one recorded yet.
- Jacob and Villy both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jacob; Villy 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
Villy
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #209 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1966
Highest recorded position: #163 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–1966).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1966
Most recently recorded at #556 among boys in Norway, in 1966.
Norway · Boys