Jack
English, grown out of Jankin, a medieval pet form of John carrying a Dutch-influenced diminutive ending. Its long use as a word for an ordinary man followed.
Jack in 2025
Jack was given to 8,754 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 23rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 379 babies born.
The history of Jack
Jack reached its highest point in 1927, when 12,884 babies were given the name, ranking 28th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 21st, in 2021.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 759,677 babies have been named Jack. Half of them were born before 1953, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Jack by decade
| Decade | Babies named Jack | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,689 | 163 |
| 1890s | 4,659 | 126 |
| 1900s | 9,269 | 99 |
| 1910s | 49,837 | 46 |
| 1920s | 116,741 | 25 |
| 1930s | 96,873 | 27 |
| 1940s | 74,129 | 65 |
| 1950s | 62,535 | 101 |
| 1960s | 35,740 | 184 |
| 1970s | 18,694 | 269 |
| 1980s | 16,060 | 331 |
| 1990s | 37,561 | 92 |
| 2000s | 95,661 | 51 |
| 2010s | 85,781 | 30 |
| 2020s | 53,448 | 21 |
Where Jack is heading
Jack has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 8,520 babies in 2015 to 8,754 in 2025.
Names like Jack
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Jack.