Jake vs James
Jake and Jamescompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #84 and James #1 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jake was ranked #95 and James #4 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2017, Jake was ranked #96 and James #6 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2020, Jake was ranked #87 and James #11 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #165 and James #14 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #185 and James #40 among boys in England and Wales.
Jake and James over time
Jake and James appear together in 5 published lists, across 158 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Jake in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
James reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Jake in 1. 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Jake and James averaged 37.3 places apart, ending at #185 and #40.
- Longest-running competitions
Jake and James were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 34 years, from 1986 to 2020, ending at #87 and #11.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Jake #7 in 1994, James #3 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys41 shared years, 1983–2025
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 41.
Highest recorded here: Jake #25 in 2015, James #1 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jake #95, James #4.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys34 shared years, 1986–2020
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 34.
Highest recorded here: Jake #7 in 1994, James #3 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Jake #87, James #11.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 29.
Highest recorded here: Jake #15 in 2006, James #2 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jake #185, James #40.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 28.
Highest recorded here: Jake #10 in 2015, James #1 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jake #84, James #1.
New Zealand · Boys26 shared years, 1991–2017
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, James in 26.
Highest recorded here: Jake #44 in 2005, James #2 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Jake #96, James #6.
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 | Jake | James |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A medieval variant of Jack, also sometimes used as a short form of Jacob. | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). |
| Origin | English, medieval variant | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒeɪk/ | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #95 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Jake is recorded with a English, medieval variant origin, while James is recorded with a Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus origin.
- Jake and James both have 2 syllables.
- Jake's recorded meaning differs from James's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Jake a "medium" Data Confidence level and James a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Jake
Popularity journey
First recorded1983
First recorded at #330 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1983 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1986–2020
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1994 (recorded 1986–2020).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #95 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
James
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #344 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys