God is gracious, in the historical Jack/John-linked tradition.
The exact Jake entry records a medieval Jack variant; Jack has a documented John route, and John is connected to a Hebrew name glossed God is gracious. This is a historical option rather than the meaning of every modern Jake.
Uncertain in the Jacob/James-linked tradition; 'may God protect' is one proposed interpretation.
Jake can be a short form of Jacob or James. The scholarly handbook marks the parent Hebrew meaning as disputed and treats heel/deceive accounts as folk etymology. This remains separate from Jake's historical Jack/John route.
Origin
English short-form tradition associated with Jack, Jacob and James.
Exact entry describes an earlier medieval variant of Jack and modern diminutive use for Jacob and James; these histories are not reduced to one parent name.
English pronunciation
/d͡ʒeɪk/
Documented English pronunciation in the exact given-name entry; readings in other languages are separate.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2002
Girls
5
2609
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada
2025
Boys
243 · preliminary
127
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Boys
20 (rounded to 5)
1687
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Boys
213
235
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland
2025
Boys
18
126
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Boys
20
208
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2025
Boys
60
95
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2016
Girls
5
16215
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
682
457
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Language of use: English
Checked against cited source
Exact English entry documents given-name use; this does not assert exclusive linguistic origin. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Meaning: God is gracious, in the historical Jack/John-linked tradition.
Checked against cited source
The exact Jake entry records a medieval Jack variant; Jack has a documented John route, and John is connected to a Hebrew name glossed God is gracious. This is a historical option rather than the meaning of every modern Jake. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, the cited exact revisions. Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Jake&oldid=92415883; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Jack&oldid=93356089; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=John&oldid=93543095. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the dictionary accounts into a qualified parent-name explanation; spelling-specific statistics remain separate. No audio or images reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Meaning: Uncertain in the Jacob/James-linked tradition; 'may God protect' is one proposed interpretation.
Checked against cited source
Jake can be a short form of Jacob or James. The scholarly handbook marks the parent Hebrew meaning as disputed and treats heel/deceive accounts as folk etymology. This remains separate from Jake's historical Jack/John route. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, the cited exact revisions; Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige, second edition (Isof, 2026), PDF page 204; copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Jake&oldid=92415883; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=James&oldid=93542483; https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf. License: CC BY-SA 4.0; other cited source rights retained (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the dictionary accounts into a qualified parent-name explanation; spelling-specific statistics remain separate. No audio or images reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0; other cited source rights retained
Name history: Short form of Jacob or James; historically also a form of Jack.
Checked against cited source
This describes documented name formation, rather than a separate literal translation of Jake. The source distinguishes medieval Jack-related use from modern Jacob/James short forms; no single parent meaning is imposed. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Short form of: Jacob
Checked against cited source
Explicit modern diminutive relationship; names retain separate popularity records. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Short form of: James
Checked against cited source
Explicit modern diminutive relationship; names retain separate popularity records. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: English short-form tradition associated with Jack, Jacob and James.
Checked against cited source
Exact entry describes an earlier medieval variant of Jack and modern diminutive use for Jacob and James; these histories are not reduced to one parent name. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
English pronunciation: /d͡ʒeɪk/
Checked against cited source
Documented English pronunciation in the exact given-name entry; readings in other languages are separate. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
In its modern Jacob or James short-form use, Jake belongs to a Hebrew name family whose root is linked to heel. This root account does not establish supplanter as a literal translation of Jake. The separately documented medieval Jack-related use remains distinct. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, Jake, James, Jacob entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Jake&oldid=92415883; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=James&oldid=93466664; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob&oldid=93356105. License: CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Adaptation: personal-name relationships and root context are combined and paraphrased in English; multiple routes are retained, and no audio or images are reproduced.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Jack
Checked against cited source
Exact entry describes Jake as originally a medieval variant of Jack. This historical relationship is distinct from its modern diminutive uses. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.
