What Is Jake Short For?
One tactic for coming up with a name for a baby is to think of any short names or nicknames you like the sound of first. Maybe you’re inspired by a nickname of a friend you had at school or a character from your favourite TV show?
Jake is one option you might want to consider for a baby boy. It’s not that common, but it’s not too obscure if you don’t want something truly unique. In my daughter’s year at school, there is only one Jake out of 90 kids so in my opinion, it’s in the sweet spot for name choices!
What is Jake short for? Where does the name come from?
There are a couple of different names Jake can be short for. The most common is from the biblical name Jacob, but it is also a medieval variant of Jack.
What does it mean?
Jake is of Hebrew origin and it means “supplanter”. As the name is usually derived from Jacob, it can also mean “God will protect”.
What middle names go with Jake?
If you’re keen on having the name Jake for your baby boy, here are some middle names you might want to consider. Furthermore, as the name is only one-syllable, you may want to think about a longer middle name of around two or three syllables as it will probably flow better when you say the full name.
- Jake Alexander
- Jake Anthony
- Jake Benjamin
- Jake Cameron
- Jake Christian
- Jake Christopher
- Jake Edward
- Jake Francis
- Jake Harrison
- Jake Lawrence
- Jake Martin
- Jake Michael
- Jake Mitchell
- Jake Oliver
- Jake Robert
- Jake Sebastian
- Jake Spencer
- Jake Stephen
- Jake Theodore
- Jake Thomas
- Jake Vincent
- Jake William
Of course, as is often the case, you may want your son’s middle name to have a family connection to you or your partner, but hopefully this list has given you some ideas.
How popular is the name Jake?
In the USA it’s actually in gradual decline in terms of its popularity:
- In 2000, it had a rank of #96 as a boy’s name, but as of 2021 it has slipped to #335. This actually might make it a good choice now if you want a name which isn’t too popular or too rare.
- There were 965 Jakes’ born in the USA in 2021, but there were 4091 in the year 2000 (around 4 times as many).
Source: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Jacob on the other hand is a lot more popular, sitting in first place in the US from 1999-2012 and as recently as 2020, it was in 13th place. It seems more common for parents to opt for the longer version rather than the shorter name.
Where in the world is it popular?
According to Google Trends, Jake is the most popular in Czechia, and then it’s pretty even between Canada, Australia, UK and USA.
Famous people called Jake
- Jake Gyllenhaal (Actor) – Hollywood star appearing in films such as Spiderman: Far From Home, Prisoners and Donnie Darko
- Jake Humphrey (Presenter) – UK-based sports presenter
- Jake Bugg (Musician)
- Jake Paul (YouTuber)
- Jake T. Austin (Actor)
Related Post: What Is Dewey Short For?
Related Post: What Is Bob Short For?
Related Post: What Is Teddy Short For?