boys' name ★ peaked 2004

Jake

Meaning Originally a medieval variant of Jack Gender Boy Rank 2025 #457 Trend ↓ Falling 36%

Originally a medieval variant of Jack; today also used as a diminutive form of Jacob and James.

Rank 2025
#457
among boys · ↓36 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
682
named Jake · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,505
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2004
4,487 babies
All-time total
129,539
#259 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jake popularity over time

129,539 babies have been named Jake since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 972 972 97 – #129
1890s – 892 892 89 -8% #140
1900s – 989 989 99 +11% #171
1910s 7 2,673 2,680 268 +171% #184
1920s – 3,022 3,022 302 +13% #296
1930s – 1,943 1,943 194 -36% #382
1940s – 1,800 1,800 180 -7% #426
1950s – 1,613 1,613 161 -10% #485
1960s – 1,387 1,387 139 -14% #618
1970s 5 3,368 3,373 337 +143% #356
1980s 43 11,282 11,325 1,133 +236% #153
1990s 88 33,115 33,203 3,320 +193% #97
2000s 63 39,844 39,907 3,991 +20% #96
2010s 11 21,415 21,426 2,143 -46% #115
2020s (to 2025) – 5,007 5,007 835 -61% #320

Where Jake is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 632 0.37 #480
2027 592 0.35 outside top 500
2028 560 0.33 outside top 500
2029 534 0.31 outside top 500
2030 513 0.30 outside top 500

Where Jake is most popular

Boys named Jake per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.460 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Jake born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 252 1.25 +172%
New York 460 1.06 +131%
Connecticut 71 1.05 +128%
Massachusetts 139 1.01 +120%
Mississippi 42 0.739 +61%
Louisiana 73 0.714 +55%
Florida 309 0.653 +42%
Utah 62 0.650 +41%
Hawaii 10 0.644 +40%
Kentucky 63 0.628 +37%
Arkansas 36 0.569 +24%
Oklahoma 48 0.543 +18%
Tennessee 91 0.504 +10%
Pennsylvania 132 0.497 +8%
Alabama 53 0.485 +5%
Texas 422 0.479 ≈ national
California 437 0.478 ≈ national
Maryland 54 0.453 ≈ national
Georgia 114 0.450 ≈ national
North Carolina 112 0.439 -5%
Indiana 69 0.430 -6%
Arizona 69 0.422 -8%
Washington 65 0.397 -14%
Virginia 75 0.395 -14%
New Mexico 13 0.395 -14%
Missouri 53 0.382 -17%
Kansas 26 0.379 -18%
Illinois 95 0.372 -19%
Michigan 72 0.352 -24%
Colorado 45 0.349 -24%
Delaware 5 0.330 -28%
South Carolina 34 0.329 -28%
Nevada 18 0.316 -31%
Ohio 78 0.294 -36%
North Dakota 5 0.293 -36%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 -41%
Minnesota 31 0.253 -45%
Nebraska 10 0.230 -50%
Idaho 9 0.220 -52%
Iowa 13 0.189 -59%
Wisconsin 19 0.160 -65%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -67%
Oregon 7 0.092 -80%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jake

Jake is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #457 in 2025 with 682 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 129,539 American babies have been named Jake. Its peak came in 2004, when 4,487 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jake stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jake?

The median living Jake is about 23 years old; half are between 16 and 31. An estimated 115 thousand people named Jake are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jake year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 682 #457
2024 – – 748 #421
2023 – – 782 #410
2022 – – 790 #406
2021 – – 969 #337
2020 – – 1,036 #320
2019 – – 1,175 #295
2018 – – 1,379 #263
2017 – – 1,503 #249
2016 5 #17,308 1,586 #242
2015 – – 1,922 #207
2014 – – 2,171 #190
2013 – – 2,450 #166
2012 6 #15,748 2,679 #153
2011 – – 3,110 #129
2010 – – 3,440 #115
2009 10 #10,986 3,386 #125
2008 5 #18,672 3,795 #111
2007 – – 3,882 #112
2006 11 #10,185 4,028 #108
2005 – – 4,153 #103
2004 14 #7,987 4,473 #98
2003 10 #9,972 4,406 #98
2002 – – 3,792 #102
2001 6 #14,226 3,838 #100
2000 7 #12,315 4,091 #96
1995 9 #9,047 3,509 #108
1990 10 #8,114 2,227 #140
1985 5 #11,310 1,071 #221
1980 – – 567 #332
1975 – – 334 #429
1970 – – 153 #662
1965 – – 144 #632
1960 – – 155 #626
1955 – – 141 #626
1950 – – 192 #485
1945 – – 165 #463
1940 – – 177 #435
1935 – – 179 #411
1930 – – 221 #382
1925 – – 306 #330
1920 – – 362 #296
1915 – – 355 #254
1910 – – 148 #184
1905 – – 92 #193
1900 – – 121 #172
1895 – – 91 #172
1890 – – 72 #188
1885 – – 100 #135
1880 – – 96 #141

Famous people named Jake

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jake Paul Jake Paul American influencer and professional boxer (born 1997) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jake Gyllenhaal Jake Gyllenhaal American actor (born 1980) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jake Lacy Jake Lacy American actor (born 1986) b. 1985 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Jake Johnson Jake Johnson American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jake Lloyd Jake Lloyd American former actor (born 1989) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jake Weary American actor (born 1990) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jake Busey Jake Busey American actor (born 1971) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jake LaMotta Jake LaMotta American boxer (1922–2017) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jake Short Jake Short American actor (born 1997) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jake Roberts Jake Roberts American professional wrestler (born 1955) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jake Weber Jake Weber English actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jake Zyrus Jake Zyrus Filipino singer (born 1992) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jake T. Austin Jake T. Austin American actor (born 1994) Contemporary
  14. 14 Jake McDorman American actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jake Shears Jake Shears American singer (born 1978) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee American guitarist (born 1957) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jake Abel Jake Abel American actor b. 1987 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Jake Thomas Jake Thomas American actor (born 1990) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jake Wood Jake Wood English actor (born 1972) Contemporary
  20. 20 Jake Kasdan Jake Kasdan American filmmaker (born 1974) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jake, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jake?

The median living Jake is about 23 years old. Half of all living Jakes are between 16 and 31 years old.

How many people named Jake are alive today?

An estimated 115 thousand people named Jake are alive in the United States, based on 129,539 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jake mean?

Originally a medieval variant of Jack; today also used as a diminutive form of Jacob and James.

How popular is the name Jake in 2025?

Jake ranked #457 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 682 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jake?

129,539 babies have been named Jake in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jake most popular?

Jake peaked in 2004, when 4,487 newborns received the name.

Is Jake a boy or girl name?

Jake is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jake rising or falling?

Jake is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jake become more popular?

Jake is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 513 boys named Jake in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jake?

Well-known people named Jake include Jake Paul (youtuber), Jake Gyllenhaal (actor), Jake Lacy (actor).

Names like Jake

Names that sound and feel close to Jake: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jake with similar names → More names starting with J →