Jack Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Jack

Jack Name Origin: English
Pronunciation: j(ak)
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Jack Name Meaning

A fairytale regular and romance darling, Jack has been grabbing parents’ attention at an unprecedented rate. Boyish and brave, Jack is an old diminutive of the name John. He can also be a nickname for today’s boy name favorite Jackson or the seldom heard Jackman.

From Jack and the Beanstalk to Little Jack Horner, the name has made his rounds in childhood tales, his short and sweet feel fitting perfectly into nursery rhymes and stories alike. He also has a wonderfully adventurous air to him, thanks in part to peculiar pirate Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean and Jack-Jack, the wonderbaby in The Incredibles. Unlike the obvious Romeo or Caspian, Jack is a subtle romantic choice, a nod to the charming Jack Dawson in Titanic.

Jack avoids the aged feel of other nickname names like Jim or Larry, wearing well on today’s tykes and fitting in beside Liam and Eli. He also manages to age well, morphing from childhood forts to business meetings without worry. He’s a name that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, turning heads with his good old-fashioned charm.

Similar names to Jack include Finn, Luke, and Max. For a super modern feel, there’s always his spunky brother Jax.

Jack Name Popularity

How popular is the name Jack? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	23	1,554	0.4414%
1911	25	1,643	0.4412%
1912	28	2,854	0.5659%
1913	28	3,521	0.621%
1914	27	4,475	0.6421%
1915	27	5,740	0.6318%
1916	26	6,160	0.6377%
1917	22	6,869	0.6866%
1918	21	8,338	0.7769%
1919	21	8,260	0.7888%
1920	20	9,589	0.8624%
1921	18	10,750	0.9388%
1922	18	10,839	0.9729%
1923	17	11,186	0.9987%
1924	17	11,918	1.0263%
1925	17	12,004	1.062%
1926	16	12,188	1.1081%
1927	16	12,793	1.1557%
1928	15	12,493	1.1676%
1929	14	12,158	1.1738%
1930	14	12,431	1.19%
1931	15	11,477	1.1628%
1932	17	10,717	1.0848%
1933	17	9,832	1.0553%
1934	17	9,977	1.0321%
1935	18	9,432	0.9706%
1936	20	8,851	0.9188%
1937	23	8,180	0.8301%
1938	25	8,140	0.7951%
1939	26	7,304	0.718%
1940	29	7,042	0.6625%
1941	32	6,950	0.6175%
1942	34	7,356	0.5825%
1943	34	7,399	0.5668%
1944	29	7,253	0.5852%
1945	32	6,851	0.5618%
1946	35	7,801	0.5287%
1947	37	8,509	0.5098%
1948	43	7,612	0.4768%
1949	47	7,132	0.4434%
1950	48	6,839	0.4248%
1951	48	7,004	0.4131%
1952	52	6,938	0.3975%
1953	57	6,534	0.3692%
1954	57	6,469	0.3539%
1955	60	6,204	0.3373%
1956	66	6,048	0.3202%
1957	67	6,021	0.3129%
1958	80	5,294	0.2801%
1959	85	5,016	0.264%
1960	85	4,915	0.2594%
1961	90	4,631	0.2453%
1962	98	4,168	0.227%
1963	101	3,814	0.2125%
1964	99	3,807	0.2163%
1965	104	3,191	0.1951%
1966	106	2,955	0.1893%
1967	112	2,782	0.1833%
1968	109	2,685	0.1788%
1969	122	2,597	0.1686%
1970	129	2,560	0.1609%
1971	133	2,355	0.1567%
1972	141	1,885	0.1384%
1973	138	1,835	0.1415%
1974	147	1,641	0.1263%
1975	142	1,736	0.1351%
1976	151	1,642	0.1274%
1977	149	1,654	0.1227%
1978	155	1,566	0.1165%
1979	160	1,575	0.1117%
1980	158	1,615	0.1105%
1981	166	1,593	0.1084%
1982	166	1,610	0.1077%
1983	172	1,513	0.1025%
1984	174	1,457	0.0979%
1985	175	1,508	0.0994%
1986	175	1,502	0.0995%
1987	163	1,631	0.1069%
1988	169	1,624	0.1042%
1989	179	1,687	0.1045%
1990	166	1,824	0.11%
1991	166	1,924	0.118%
1992	155	2,059	0.129%
1993	142	2,413	0.1548%
1994	127	2,773	0.1807%
1995	110	3,437	0.2281%
1996	89	4,239	0.2831%
1997	76	4,979	0.3366%
1998	61	6,374	0.4259%
1999	52	7,383	0.493%
2000	46	8,118	0.5314%
2001	48	8,148	0.5408%
2002	44	8,998	0.6004%
2003	45	9,317	0.6124%
2004	42	9,578	0.6284%
2005	33	10,903	0.7131%
2006	36	10,836	0.692%
2007	38	10,670	0.6763%
2008	39	9,893	0.6401%
2009	42	9,020	0.6035%
2010	45	8,517	0.591%
2011	45	8,179	0.5741%
2012	46	7,934	0.5568%
2013	40	8,572	0.6021%
2014	41	8,742	0.6%
2015	40	8,494	0.5838%
2016	38	8,399	0.5825%
2017	35	8,419	0.6032%
2018	28	8,834	0.643%
2019	19	9,349	0.6906%
2020	21	8,620	0.6772%
2021	11	9,504	0.7775%
2022	16	8,652	0.6558%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Jack

If you like Jack, you’ll love these other names like Jack.

What names are diminutives of Jack?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Jack sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Jack, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Jackie	Son of Jack; he who supplants; God is gracious	Hebrew
Jacko	He who supplants	Hebrew
Jacky	Son of Jack; he who supplants; God is gracious	Hebrew
Jaco	He who supplants	Hebrew
Jax	Son of Jack	English
Jock	God is gracious	Hebrew

What names are variants of Jack?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Jack.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Jackman	God is gracious	English
Jackson	Son of Jack	English
Jacq		English
Jacqin		English
Jak		English
Jaq	Supplanter	French
Jaxon	Son of Jack	English
Jaxson	Son of Jack	English

John	God is gracious	Hebrew

What names sound like Jack?

If you like how Jack sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Jack.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Ajax	“The birdman,” from the Greek aia.	Greek
Black	Dark-skinned	English
Jace	To heal	American
Jase	To heal	American
Mac	Son of	Gaelic
Mack	Son of; greatest	Latin
Zach	The Lord recalled	Hebrew
Zachary	God remembers	Hebrew
Zack	Laughter; the Lord recalled	Hebrew

What names are similar to Jack?

Find a name that’s like Jack, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Chase	Hunter	English
Eli	Ascension	Hebrew
Evan	God is gracious	Welsh
Ian	God is gracious	Scottish
James	Supplanter	English

Leo	Lion	Latin
Levi	Joined together	Hebrew
Liam	Helmet of will	Irish
Noah	To rest	Hebrew
Owen	Noble born	Welsh

Lists With Jack

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Jack.

Siblings of Jack

Mamas with kids named Jack also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Benjamin	A favorite son	Hebrew
Graham	Gravelled homestead	English
Thomas	Twin	Greek
Penny	Weaver	English
Penelope	Weaver	Greek
Eli	Ascension	Hebrew
Melody	Song	English
Seth	Appointed	Hebrew
Austin	Great	English
Not

Alfred	Elf or magical counsel	English
Albert	Noble, bright, famous	German
Sahara	Desert	Arabic
Olivia	Olive tree	Latin
Linda	Pretty	Spanish
Edmond	Wealthy protector	English
Kennedy	Helmeted head	Irish

Share Your Thoughts

50 Comments

Baby+Jack Mar 21 at 8:21 am

Nickname for middle name John.

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Morgan Jan 8 at 1:03 pm

Jack Ryan after my father Steven Ryan

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Kimberly Dec 21 at 11:12 am

I actually chose the name Jack because that’s his fathers middle name so we wanted something to go with dads name but not “jr”

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Alyssa Aug 4 at 12:16 pm

-A good, strong name – timeless and classic
-Sounds nice to the ears: strong consonants at the beginning and end with a soft “a” in the middle
-Easy name but not overused
-We didn’t have any bad experiences with other Jacks to ruin the name
-Good meaning: “God is gracious”

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- Emma Dec 12 at 1:20 pm
  
  He smells like a butt hole
  
  Reply
Bailey Aug 2 at 8:57 am

My husband chose the name. He’s loved it since the beginning of my pregnancy. He said it kept popping up everywhere and he felt like it was a sign. Also, we hadn’t shared any name ideas with anyone through the pregnancy, but our midwife, after he was born, said she keeps wanting to call him Jack. Without us ever prompting it. So, Jack it is!

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Sadie Jun 24 at 4:15 pm

We named him after my husband’s Papa

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Rachel Jun 10 at 2:06 pm

Late grandfather’s name

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Meagan Apr 10 at 4:34 am

Meaning. God is gracious.
Strong 1 syllable name.
Not too common. But not too weird.

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Marie Dec 7 at 10:22 am

Its an old family name and was the only name me and my husband could agree on.

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Lindsay Sep 9 at 7:40 pm

Named after Daddy’s best friend and my first cat. Jack is cool, simple and the sweetest memory for both of us.

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Mimi Aug 29 at 7:09 am

Our baby is Jack, short for John Paul. We are Catholic and respect St. John Paul. We are Polish and Celtic, so a Celtic nickname for a Polish figure means a lot to us!

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- Celtic Joe Apr 19 at 6:21 am
  
  The fog is coming
  
  Reply
Kelley Aug 6 at 11:31 am

I’ve always liked the name Jack. It is masculine and straight forward. Once I found out that Jack is a derivative of the name John, which means “God is gracious,” it mostly sealed the deal for me. My husband’s buy-in did the rest of that!

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Rebecca Jun 27 at 9:30 am

I have always liked the name Jack. It’s a strong yet simple and traditional name. However the real reason I chose this name for my boy started years before he was born. Before I met my husband I had an experience while on my knees in prayer and I came to the conclusion that my future husbands middle name would be Jack. A couple years later I met my husband to be, and low and behold his middle name was indeed Jack. The name became that much more endearing to me and there was no question when our little boy finally came that his name would be Jack.

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- Griswald Apr 19 at 6:24 am
  
  2??????????????5??????????? ????????????????d???????????????????a???????????????????????????????????y????????????????????????????s???????????????? ?????????????????????????????f???????????????????????????????????????r????????????????????????????????????????o??????????????????????????????????m??????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????n??????????????????????????????????????o????????????????????????????w??????????,??????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????a????????????????????????????????t????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????1??????????????????????????????????????????????????1?????????????????????????????????????????????????????:?????????4????????????????5??????????? ???????????????????????????????p????????????????????????????????m????????????????????????????,??????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????a???????????????? ??????????????????????????????????p??????????????????????????????????????????????????????r?????????????????????????????????e????????????????????????????????v?????????????????????????i???????????????o???????????????????????????????????????????u?????????????????????s????????????????????????????????l????????????????????????????????????y?????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????u???????n?????????????????????????????????????????????k??????????????????????????????????????n???????????????????????????o???????????????????????????????????????????w??????????????????????????????????????????????n???????????? ????????????????????????????????b??????????????????????????o??????????????????????????????????????????d???????????????????????????????y????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????w????????????????????????i????????????????????????????l???????????????????????????????????????????????l?????????????????? ?????????????????????????????b??????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????f???????????o???????????????????????????????u????????n?????????????????????????????????d???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????a????????????t??????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????t??????????????????????????h?????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????b?????????????????????????o?????????????????????????????????????????t????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????o???????????????????????????m???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????o??????????????????????f??????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????h???????????????????????????e????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????l???????????????????????????????????o????????????????????????????????????????c??????????????????????????????a???????????????????????????????????????????????l????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????r????????????????????????????????????????????i??????????????????????v????????????????????????????????e???????????????????????????????????????r??????????.????????????????????????????????????????????????
  
  Reply
Heidi Jan 13 at 9:16 am

I love that Jack is a classic name but mostly we chose the name for its meaning, God is gracious. It took us 5 years to have a baby and when we found out I was pregnant we just knew we had to choose a name that was fitting.

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Nicole Dec 14 at 2:53 pm

A beautiful, classic, strong boys name

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Olivia Nov 4 at 12:27 pm

Brothers Name

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Jennifer Aug 31 at 8:59 am

Well first I love the movie nightmare before Christmas. The main character was Jack the pumpkin King. So I thought it would be nice to have a son named Jack. So I can just go Jack Jack I love the name my husband loves the name.

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Morgan Apr 14 at 9:03 am

We wanted a name that was short and sweet but also strong and masculine!

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Rachael Feb 14 at 9:16 am

Means “God is gracious ” Has a wonderful meaning

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Mama Jan 29 at 2:42 pm

He is named after his grandmother who passed away and his great grandfather. We loved the name because it is storng! He is super sweet, silly and cuddly.

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Clare Jan 8 at 7:47 pm

Strong short name that can’t be a nickname. It means God is gracious.

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Sharlene Dec 8 at 2:25 pm

The name was chosen by his uncle because his wife had 2 girls and he never got the chance to have a boy because she had her tubes tied.

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Heather Nov 4 at 8:24 pm

We love this name and Jack William was just perfect!

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Bran Oct 20 at 11:00 am

His dad picked Jack because he likes the name. I’m not super in love with it but I don’t hate it. It’s a good strong name and pairs well with so many middle names. Plus, he’s born in October so it reminds me of Jack Skellington.

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Britt Oct 5 at 10:51 am

I’ve always liked the name, so when I learned it was my husband’s great Uncle’s name (his Papaw’s big brother), I loved it even more. He died during WW2, flying a jet, when he was very young.
Jack’s middle name is Ross, after my husband’s Papaw, and Jack’s little brother.

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Devon Jul 6 at 12:48 pm

We choose the name Jack because dad’s name is Jonathan. I wanted him to be Jonny Jr., but dad didn’t. Jon said “What about Jack?” Jack is a nickname for Jon, I wasn’t too thrilled at first. It grew on me over time. Once we picked the middle name Dylan, I fell in love.

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Aly Brinkley May 26 at 8:07 pm

Jack was a family name. Simple and cute! A strong name that grows with baby through life.

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Jack Apr 1 at 9:19 am

Jack was named after my favorite hero in a video game Fable. He saved the a whole kingdom from a vortex with his a powerful spell and became known to them as a grand sacrifice. I liked the name because i knew it would fit him and that it would also go well with the middle and last name. Jack was born March 30, 2020 weighing 6.8 lbs and 20 inches long and he is perfectly handsome and healthy despite my being sick with vomiting every single day since the second trimester began.

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Lucy Dec 6 at 2:29 am

My husband chose the name Jack. He had always liked the name, ever since first seeing The Titanic. I had lots of names in mind, and the fact that he had already made up his mind just made picking a name easier.

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Daphne Bailey Dec 4 at 8:40 am

We choose the name Jack because it was my husband’s granfathers name. I loved it from the moment my husband said this name. It’s am old name that isn’t heard as often now days and it also seems like a very strong name to me.

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Misty Mason Aug 29 at 2:31 pm

Its different

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- Olivia Aug 20 at 3:14 pm
  
  My brother called Jack.
  
  Reply
- hannah Nov 29 at 10:59 am
  
  Jack is not different lol lot’s of ppl have the name
  
  Reply
Maeghan Aug 16 at 11:11 am

We always liked the name Jack, it’s classic and manly 🙂

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Mama Brook Jun 16 at 8:56 am

First, it’s a strong name that’s cute for a baby, but mature for an adult. Second, it means God is gracious. A daily reminder of our savior. And third, there are few silly nicknames we could think of for when he is older and people get creative.

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Mary-Stokes Jun 13 at 8:55 pm

We felt Jack was a very strong masculine name with also a cuteness and sweetness about it. Also, we don’t know a single person named Jack that isn’t handsome and cool! Haha

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SAMANTHA Jun 13 at 2:27 pm

We loved how classic, strong and friendly it sounded!

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Tarra Jun 9 at 5:01 am

Jack was my grandpa’s name & he was an incredible man. Also it was important that his name begin with J to follow our “J” theme. Love it simple. Short. Strong. And special to us because of some special men in our lives.

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Ashley Jun 8 at 11:47 am

We were looking for a classic j name.

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Nicole Apr 23 at 3:52 pm

My husband and I love Disney, so we made boy and girl lists of Disney character names. We went over them, narrowed them down, and eventually chose the one we liked best for each gender.

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Skie Apr 22 at 2:24 pm

Jack is seriously the most fun name if you’re into puns! “Hey buddy, can you give jack a bite?” Jacobite! Lol! Fun aside, it’s a classic, and adorable name! I don’t love that it is a nickname for John though.

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- hannah Nov 29 at 11:00 am
  
  that’s true jack is a very fun name that’s why I love it
  
  Reply
Chantal Apr 22 at 1:08 pm

We named our last baby Jack, because we like classic names that are easy to pronounce and spell. He just looked like a Jack when he was born! It’s a fun name, and even though it’s a bit more popular, we haven’t met too many other Jacks out there.

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Jess Verne Apr 13 at 7:01 pm

On March 26, 2018 my husband and two stepsons were in Hawaii and it was the fifth anniversary of the four of us meeting in Costa Rica. The boys were swimming in the resort pool, the moon was bright, and I told my husband that it would be the perfect time (and place!) to choose a name. I suggested we each choose our top five names and he joked that he didn’t have five! So he simply said: what’s your favorite name on your list? Without hesitating I said: “Jack”. I didn’t even think about it and was surprised how effortlessly it came out. He said with a smile, “Jack it is.” It was a beautiful moment. The “J” honored my husband’s grandfather, Jerome. I also realized I kept my own family’s “J” tradition going (Jim, Jennifer, Jonathan, and Jessica) to hold on to a piece of my family as well. After deciding, my love for the name only grew and it’s so wonderful to look in my son’s eyes and finally call him “Jack” 🙂

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casie Apr 13 at 11:45 am

It was a family name. We liked that it is simple, easy to spell and pronounce, and an all-american boy name.
It has its fair share of inclusion in sayings or phrases, some that aren’t desirable, which can be a fault. (e.g. I dropped “Jack off” at school, That thing is jacked up, Jackass, Jack o lantern, jackrabbit, etc)

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Jacqueline Apr 11 at 12:55 pm

My Grandfathers name, a true classic!

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Faith Apr 11 at 12:42 pm

I love that Jack is a classic but CUTE name that is short and can’t really be made into a nickname. I feel like the name Jack invokes the idea of a confident, spunky child.

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Jack