Jake – Historically
- Historically, Jake is the shortened version of the name Jacob.
- Jacob comes from the Hebrew name Ya‘aqov, which means “holder of the heel”. This is linked to the biblical story of Jacob, who was born holding his twin brother Esau’s heel.
- The name started to appear as a standalone first name in the United States back in the 1800s.
- By the early to mid-20th century, Jake became more popular due to it having presence in pop culture, such as Western films, cowboy stores, and TV shows.
Jake – My Parents’ Reason
So I messaged my Mum on Facebook to ask why the name Jake was given to me, and this was her reply. “I’m pretty sure we liked it from Jilly coopers “Riders” tv show..one of the hero’s of the show was called Jake Lovell..played by Michael Praed…& that’s where we got it from..we both liked the name Jake..hadn’t really known a Jake before..liked it because it was abit different….”
Jacob vs Jake
As of 2024, Jacob has remained in the top 50 boys’ names in the United States for decades; in recent years, it has slowly been dropping down the ladder. A few years ago, Jacob was in the top 20. Meanwhile, the name Jake peaked in 2004, reaching its highest ever rank at 166.
Compared to the UK, Jacob has been up and down, generally staying between 5th – 30th from the early nineties to the late naughties. Since then, it has slowly ebbed, now flowing between 30th and 50th. On the other hand, the name Jake has slowly been dropping down the table, with the most recent data showing the name at 99.
Our Family Names Ranked by Popularity
Ella (17th)
Jake (99th)
Dom(inic) (not listed, last appearance, 2018)
Lewis (not listed, last appearance, 2017)
Sarah (not listed, last appearance, 2016)
Darren (not listed, last appearance, 1994)
Subscriber Goal
We are just 18 subscribers away from 100 followers on my blog! I literally can’t believe it, and I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you who has subscribed to this blog already. I would love to hit 100 followers by the end of the year. So if you enjoyed reading this, please do hit the button down below. I’d greatly appreciate it.
The Taste Trekker 
Leave a comment