Jakob vs Peter
Jakob and Petercompared 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 2025, Jakob was ranked #9 and Peter #174 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2020, Jakob was ranked #556 and Peter #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Jakob was ranked #414 and Peter #177 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jakob was ranked #1402 and Peter #286 among boys in England and Wales.
Jakob and Peter over time
Jakob and Peter appear together in 3 published lists, across 124 years of shared records. Peter held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Jakob 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.
Peter reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Jakob 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1994, Jakob moved ahead of Peter in Norway · Boys — #101 and #96 the year before became #86 and #96.
- Mirrored each other
Over 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jakob rose about as far as Peter fell — from #150 and #106 in 1945 to #9 and #174 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Jakob and Peter were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #9 and #174.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Jakob #317 in 2001, Peter #48 in 2001.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Jakob held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Peter in 49.
Highest recorded here: Jakob #6 in 2019, Peter #72 in 1987.
The order changed in 1994: Jakob moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #101 and #96; by 1994 that had become #86 and #96.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jakob #9, Peter #174.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jakob held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Peter in 29.
Highest recorded here: Jakob #287 in 2000, Peter #59 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jakob #1402, Peter #286.
Republic of Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 2001–2020
Jakob held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Peter in 14.
Highest recorded here: Jakob #317 in 2001, Peter #48 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Jakob #556, Peter #125.
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 | Jakob | Peter |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov. | From Greek Petros ('stone'), a translation of the Aramaic Cephas, the name Jesus gave to the apostle Simon. |
| Origin | Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission | Greek/Aramaic, biblical |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ | /ˈpit.əɹ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #9 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #152 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jakob is recorded with a Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission origin, while Peter is recorded with a Greek/Aramaic, biblical origin.
- Jakob and Peter both have 2 syllables.
- Jakob's recorded meaning differs from Peter's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Jakob
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #150 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Peter
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #106 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2006
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1954 (recorded 1952–2006).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #174 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys