UK boy's name
Jack
Of English origin meaning "God is gracious" or "supplanter".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Jack is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jack popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #22, with 1,711 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 10,779 births.
This profile covers 188,738 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 16% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 214,687 living people in the UK are called Jack. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Jack ranked #22 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,711 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 10,779 boys were registered as Jack.
- • Jack ranks best in London in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #2 in 2015.
- • About 214,687 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jack as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#22
2024
Births in 2024
1,711
Latest year
Peak year
1996
10,779 births
Estimated living
214,687
2026
Meaning
What does Jack mean?
The name Jack is derived from the Hebrew name Yaakov, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows". The name was brought to Britain by the Normans after their conquest in 1066 and the Old French diminutive "Jacquet" evolved into the modern Jack. The name became extremely popular in medieval England, particularly after the Norman invasion.
In ancient texts, Jacob is featured prominently in the Book of Genesis as one of the patriarchs of the Israelites, and the son of Isaac and Rebecca. His name was changed to Israel by God after he wrestled with an angel. The name Jack is derived from this biblical name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jack is in the medieval mystery plays and folk tales featuring a character named Jack, such as "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Killer". These stories likely originated in the 16th century and helped popularize the name.
Famous historical figures named Jack include Jack Cade (1420-1450), an English rebel leader during the Hundred Years' War, and Jack Sheppard (1702-1724), a notorious English burglar and escape artist. Jack Churchill (1906-1996) was a British army officer who fought in World War II and was known for carrying a sword and bagpipes into battle.
In literature, Jack Worthing is a central character in Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895), and Jack London (1876-1916) was an American author known for novels such as "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang". Jack Nicholson (born 1937) is an acclaimed American actor who has starred in films like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Shining".
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jack over time
The chart below shows babies named Jack registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Jack, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,711 births in 2024, compared with 10,779 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jack by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jack was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #15 | 11,842 | 5 |
| 2010s | #4 | 53,802 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1 | 82,540 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1 | 40,554 | 4 |
Geography
Where Jack is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Jack. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Jack ranks best in London in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #2 in 2015.
Across the UK
Jack in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#7 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 19,957 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#4 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 7,843 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Jack
-
Jack van Poortvliet
rugby union player
rugby union player from England
2001-
-
Jack de Keyzer
composer; singer; guitarist
Canadian blues guitarist
1955-
-
Jack van Geloven
cricketer
English county cricketer and umpire (1934-2003)
1934-2003
-
Jack Zussman
geologist; university teacher; mineralogist
professor of mineralogy, University of Manchester
1924-2024
-
Jack Zunz
engineer; structural engineer
structural engineer (1923-2018)
1923-2018
-
Jack de Manio
journalist
British journalist and radio presenter
1914-1988
-
Jack Potts
long-distance runner
British long-distance runner (1906-1987)
1906-1987
-
Jack Britton
association football player
Scottish footballer born 1900
1900-1953
Related
Names similar to Jack
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
- Joel 19,004
FAQ
Jack: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jack in the UK right now?
In 2024, Jack was ranked #22 for boys in England and Wales, with 1,711 births registered.
When was Jack most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 10,779 babies registered as Jack in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jack?
Of English origin meaning "God is gracious" or "supplanter".
How many people are called Jack in the UK?
A total of 188,738 babies have been registered as Jack across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 19,957 more in Scotland and 7,843 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Jack most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Jack ranks best in London, where it placed #2 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.