Jake
Jake is a masculine given name derived from Jacob. It can also be a nickname of Jacob and various other given names.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Jake
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jake is a masculine given name derived from Jacob. It can also be a nickname of Jacob and various other given names.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Jake
American parents first put Jake on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 96 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2004, when 4,471 Jakes were born — ranking #98 that year. About 31% of every Jake on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Jake ranks #478 for baby boys with 655 births, falling sharply (-40%). All told, over 130K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Jake
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jake. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Jake
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jake is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jake
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In which U.S. states is Jake most popular?
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About the name Jake
Jake is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 130K births in the dataset. Jake's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #96. Use the chart and map above to compare Jake's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2004 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.