Jakob vs Widar
Jakob and Widarcompared 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 1974, Jakob was ranked #264 and Widar #640 among boys in Norway.
Jakob and Widar over time
Jakob and Widar appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Jakob held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Widar 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 Widar 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.
List by list
Norway · Boys21 shared years, 1947–1974
Jakob held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Widar in 1.
Highest recorded here: Jakob #150 in 1949, Widar #212 in 1956.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1974: Jakob #264, Widar #640.
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 | Widar |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #640 (1974) |
| 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); Widar does not have one recorded yet.
- Jakob and Widar both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jakob; Widar 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
Widar
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #377 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1947–1974
Highest recorded position: #212 among boys in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1947–1974).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1974
Most recently recorded at #640 among boys in Norway, in 1974.
Norway · Boys