Jakob vs Villy
Jakob 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, Jakob was ranked #229 and Villy #556 among boys in Norway.
Jakob and Villy over time
Jakob and Villy appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Jakob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Villy in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Jakob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Villy 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
Jakob and Villy changed places 8 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1966, ending at #229 and #556.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Jakob #150 in 1945, Villy #163 in 1946.
List by list
Norway · Boys21 shared years, 1945–1966
Jakob held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Villy in 4.
Highest recorded here: Jakob #150 in 1945, Villy #163 in 1946.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1966: Jakob #229, 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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Jakob
Pairs where Jakob shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Anders vs Jakob
Anders and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #9.
Anders · Jakob · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Andreas vs Jakob
Andreas and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #96 and #9.
Andreas · Jakob · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Arne vs Jakob
Arne and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #222 and #9.
Arne · Jakob · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Bjørn vs Jakob
Bjørn and Jakob were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #56 and #9.
Bjørn · Jakob · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Jakob | Villy |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of Jacob (or James) used across Germanic and Scandinavian languages, from the Hebrew Ya'akov. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɑː.kɔp/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #9 (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
- Jakob has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via German/Scandinavian transmission); Villy does not have one recorded yet.
- Jakob and Villy both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jakob; Villy doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
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