Jake vs Luke
Jake and Luke compared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jake was ranked #95 and Luke #23 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2017, Jake was ranked #96 and Luke #33 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #165 and Luke #50 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #84 and Luke #57 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2020, Jake was ranked #87 and Luke #74 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Jake was ranked #235 and Luke #131 among boys in England and Wales.
Jake and Luke over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Jake and Luke over time
Jake and Luke appear together in 5 published lists, across 159 years of shared records. Luke held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Jake in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Luke reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Jake 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
Jake and Luke changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1986 and 2020, ending at #87 and #74.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Jake and Luke averaged 16.8 places apart, ending at #235 and #131.
- Longest-running competitions
Jake and Luke were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #235 and #131.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Jake #7 in 1994, Luke #5 in 1994.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys41 shared years, 1983–2025
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Luke in 41.
Highest recorded here: Jake #25 in 2015, Luke #7 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jake #95, Luke #23.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys34 shared years, 1986–2020
Jake held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Luke in 26.
Highest recorded here: Jake #7 in 1994, Luke #5 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Jake #87, Luke #74.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Jake held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Luke in 14.
Highest recorded here: Jake #15 in 2006, Luke #11 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jake #235, Luke #131.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Jake held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Luke in 21.
Highest recorded here: Jake #10 in 2015, Luke #13 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jake #84, Luke #57.
New Zealand · Boys26 shared years, 1991–2017
Jake held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Luke in 26.
Highest recorded here: Jake #44 in 2005, Luke #14 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Jake #96, Luke #33.
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 | Luke |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | From Latin Lucas, from Greek Loukas — probably 'from Lucania' (a region of southern Italy), or possibly connected to Lucius. Luke was a physician who accompanied Paul and is traditionally credited as author of the third Gospel and Acts. |
| Origin | English, medieval variant | Greek/Latin, biblical |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒeɪk/ | /ˈluk/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #95 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #23 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jake is recorded with a English, medieval variant origin, while Luke is recorded with a Greek/Latin, biblical origin.
- Jake and Luke both have 2 syllables.
- Jake's recorded meaning differs from Luke's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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 #235 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Luke
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #105 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2024
Highest recorded position: #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1994 (recorded 1967–2024).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #131 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys