Jacob vs Jessica

Side-by-side comparison of Jacob and Jessica — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Jacob

Boy name · Rank #41

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Name B

Jessica

Girl name · Rank #574

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Jacob Jessica
Current Rank #41 #574
Total Births (all years) 981,940 1,050,306
Peak Year 1998 1987
Peak Year Births 36,027 55,996
Peak Decade 1990ss 1980ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Jacob Jessica
1880ss 3,566 94
1890ss 2,551 135
1900ss 2,191 159
1910ss 8,684 411
1920ss 9,047 410
1930ss 5,264 499
1940ss 4,853 2,204
1950ss 5,400 4,560
1960ss 5,080 13,671
1970ss 36,355 143,498
1980ss 124,263 469,518
1990ss 298,410 303,129
2000ss 274,064 90,665
2010ss 163,266 18,222
2020ss 38,946 3,131

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Jacob Jessica
2014 16,916 1,802
2015 15,999 1,591
2016 14,554 1,392
2017 13,265 1,291
2018 11,891 1,066
2019 10,786 969
2020 9,306 779
2021 8,481 656
2022 7,658 620
2023 7,005 550
2024 6,496 526

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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