boy's name
Jack
JAK
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 1,046,093
the United States
#15
2025 births
Jack is a boy's name of English origin that began as a pet form of John, by way of the medieval nickname Jankin. It has been used as a name in its own right for centuries and became so common in medieval England that "jack" entered the language as a general word for an ordinary man.
- Jack is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1927, when 12,884 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 379 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jack over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,689 |
| 1890s | 4,659 |
| 1900s | 9,269 |
| 1910s | 49,837 |
| 1920s | 116,741 |
| 1930s | 96,873 |
| 1940s | 74,129 |
| 1950s | 62,535 |
| 1960s | 35,740 |
| 1970s | 18,694 |
| 1980s | 16,060 |
| 1990s | 37,561 |
| 2000s | 95,661 |
| 2010s | 85,781 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 53,448 |
What Jack means
Jack has no meaning of its own, having formed as a familiar version of John, whose Hebrew root Yochanan means "Yahweh is gracious." Its own history is better described by its use than its etymology: it became the standard English name for an everyman.
Where Jack comes from
Jack developed from John through the medieval diminutive Jankin, formed by adding the -kin ending to a shortened Jan, which then contracted to Jackin and finally Jack. A persistent alternative theory derives it from the French Jacques, but Jacques corresponds to James, not John, and the Jankin route is the one supported by the documentary record. Jack was so widespread in medieval England that it became a common noun for a man of the people, surviving in lumberjack, jack-of-all-trades, and the playing-card jack. It has been given as an independent name since at least the sixteenth century.
Jack in use
Jack was so common in medieval England that it turned into an ordinary English word for a man.
How popular is Jack?
In 2025, Jack was given to 8,754 babies in the United States, ranking #15 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Jack is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jack
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jack also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jack over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jack in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Amis
- Iwan
- Ancient Greek
- Ioannis
- Arabic
- Jehan
- Armenian
- Ivan
- Atayal
- Iwan
- Breton
- Yann
- Bulgarian
- Ivan
- Dutch
- Jean Sean Joan Jacques Evan Juan Johnny Ian Ivan Giovanni Jan Johan Gianni Johann Hans Joannes Johannes Iwan Hannes
- Finnish
- Hannes
- Greek
- Ioannis
- Hebrew
- Yaacov
- Hungarian
- Janka
- Icelandic
- Hannes
- Irish
- Sean
- Macedonian
- Ivan
- North Germanic
- Jan
- Occitan
- Joan
- Russian
- Ivan
- Sardinian
- Ioan
- Seediq
- Iwan
- Serbian
- Ivan
- Ukrainian
- Ivan
Sibling names for Jack
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jack — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jack
What does the name Jack mean?
Jack has no meaning of its own — it developed as a pet form of John, which means "Yahweh is gracious."
Is Jack short for John?
Historically yes, by way of the medieval nickname Jankin. Jack has been an independent name for centuries.
Is Jack related to Jacques?
Despite the resemblance, no. Jacques corresponds to James, while Jack came from John.
How popular is the name Jack?
In 2025, Jack was given to 8,754 babies in the United States, ranking #15 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Jack a girl's or a boy's name?
Jack is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jack?
Jack has 1 syllable.
When was Jack most popular?
Jack peaked in 1927, when 12,884 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Jack a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jack currently ranks #2 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.