Jake vs Sebastian
Jake and Sebastiancompared 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.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2020, Jake was ranked #87 and Sebastian #36 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #185 and Sebastian #45 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2017, Jake was ranked #96 and Sebastian #73 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #84 and Sebastian #154 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jake was ranked #95 and Sebastian #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jake was ranked #165 and Sebastian #116 among boys in Scotland.
Jake and Sebastian over time
Jake and Sebastian appear together in 5 published lists, across 123 years of shared records. Jake held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Sebastian in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Jake reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Sebastian 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Sebastian moved into the top 50 at #34 in 2013 as Jake fell out of it to #51, having been #33 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2016, Sebastian moved ahead of Jake in England and Wales · Boys — #34 and #35 the year before became #45 and #36.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Jake and Sebastian averaged 59.3 places apart, ending at #185 and #45.
- Longest-running competitions
Jake and Sebastian were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 35 years, from 1986 to 2025, ending at #95 and #125.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Jake #10 in 2015, Sebastian #102 in 2015.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys35 shared years, 1986–2025
Jake held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Sebastian in 1.
Highest recorded here: Jake #25 in 2015, Sebastian #80 in 2017.
The order changed in 1988: Jake moved ahead. In 1987 they stood at #317 and #283; by 1988 that had become #215 and #271.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jake #95, Sebastian #125.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jake held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Sebastian in 9.
Highest recorded here: Jake #15 in 2006, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
The order changed in 2016: Sebastian moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #34 and #35; by 2016 that had become #45 and #36.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jake #185, Sebastian #45.
Northern Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 1999–2024
Jake held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Sebastian in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jake #10 in 2015, Sebastian #102 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jake #84, Sebastian #154.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys20 shared years, 2000–2020
Jake held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Sebastian in 7.
Highest recorded here: Jake #20 in 2004, Sebastian #32 in 2015.
The order changed in 2013: Sebastian moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #33 and #39; by 2013 that had become #51 and #34.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Jake #87, Sebastian #36.
New Zealand · Boys15 shared years, 2002–2017
Jake held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Sebastian in 4.
Highest recorded here: Jake #44 in 2005, Sebastian #58 in 2013.
The order changed in 2014: Sebastian moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #52 and #58; by 2014 that had become #80 and #59.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Jake #96, Sebastian #73.
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 | Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Traditionally interpreted as 'venerable' or 'revered' — from Latin Sebastianus, 'from Sebaste' (a city in Asia Minor), whose own name derives from a Greek word used to translate the Roman imperial title Augustus. |
| Origin | English, medieval variant | Latin, from Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒeɪk/ | /səˈbæstʃən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| 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) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jake is recorded with a English, medieval variant origin, while Sebastian is recorded with a Latin, from Greek origin.
- Jake has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sebastian.
- Jake's recorded meaning differs from Sebastian'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 #95 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Sebastian
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #415 among boys in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1968–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1968–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #31 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys