Jack - where are they all??

[DontSayWhatSayPardon]

So Ds2 on the way. DH has been campaigning for Jack as a name since DS1. I vetoed it for DS1 on the grounds it had been the most popular name for 10 years. Now that it's been knocked off the top spot by Jake (which was ironically on our short list last time), and because we are woefully short of boys names we like and agree on, Jack is in the frame. I know it's popular but I actually only know one adult and NO kids called Jack. Im guessing it must be a geographical thing. I live in SW London.

How many Jacks do you know and where do you live? Would really help with our decision. Thanks!

My Jack is 21 now, he was one of the first. When we told people his name when he was a baby they pulled faces ad said "is it a family name?" as if we had called him Ebenezer or Adolph! There was one other Jack in his class at school and there are 2 in DS2's year ( he is 18). My Jack has Alexander as his first name ( we found it easier to find names Jack went with if they were put first ) and there are far more boys called Alex around his age than any other name.

Where I work we have 1 in Y2, 2 in Y3 and 1 in Y6. I also know a 2 year old Jack.

Really not very many at all.

In my baby group in Cornwall 5 out of the 8 boys were called Jack (this was 2010). I'm in London now and I don't know a single Jack under the age of 30. Geography definitely makes a huge difference!

I know 5 ranging between 15 and 1

Thanks everyone for your input. The ONS stats by region particularly useful. Weirdly ds1's name was apparently no.1 in London (where I live) last year and yet I've never met another baby called it. All very odd! I guess the moral of the story is just go with what you like and are not sick of hearing at your local playground/nursery/school!

Personally I think people can read too much into popularity.

DS1 (who is almost 13) is named Jack. Needless to say it was the #1 name in 1999.

There were 9.785 baby boys named Jack in 1999 (in England & Wales, Scotland has its own data). Yet there were 319,255 baby boys born in England & Wales that year, so that means 309,470 baby boys born that year were NOT named Jack.

Of the 9,785 that were, they're going to be spread all over England and Wales. As a result, there are very few at my son's school, yet people kept telling me he'd be one of many when he got to school.

I appreciate then when people first look at the popularity charts, seeing a name high on the chart can perhaps be a downer, but when you look closely at the actual statistics you realise that in reality it isn't that much of an issue.

West Midlands - I know 4/5+ Jacks

London, I know 3 jacks - 1 baby, 2 3-year olds HTH

Tess - wise words! I think the whole thread has encouraged me not to get too hung up on it actually. So at least there is now ONE name me and DH potentially agree on

Both Jack and Jake are shortened versions of Jacob. I know this because I have researched this name right back to it's Hebrew origins (coz I wants it for my baby :o). Both James and John come from it too. They all mean the same: heel grabber.

Forgot to say, in my family we have 2 Jacks, 1 John, 1 Jimmy, 1 Jim, 1 James, 1 Seamus (Irish for James) and possibly soon a Jacob/Jake. We don't appear to have much imagination. :o

Tess, I have a 13 year old Jack too. He's named after my dad. He was the only one I a year of 60 at primary school and we don't know any others his age. We're in the Northwest.

FlaminNora Jack isn't a form of Jacob. It's a diminutive of John

Oh..... Read your post again. Heal grabber!? That's so good

A jake is a vagrant, in Glasgow vernacular, in case that may influence.

FlamingNora - you are right that James also comes from the same root name as Jacob (Ya'akov), but John does not.

John is a shortened form of Johanan, which in turn is the Anglicised form of the Hebrew Yochanan which means "God is gracious".

Jack derives from John, through the name Jankin, a Medieval form of John. Jankin became Jackin, which in turn, got shortened to Jack.

Jack can be used as a short form of Jacob, inspired by Jacques, the French form of Jacob. However, it originates from John, so means the same as John (God is gracious).

I live in east anglia and my ds is the only Jack in his school, nursery-y6. Also at my siblings school there's only 2 Jacks. The only other Jack I've come across since he was born was an elderly gentleman, his wife told me Jacks never really grow up and never loose the spirit of a child.

Two in our bf group, so out of about 20 babies. Sorry!

Still a nice name though.

There are A LOT of Jacks around here (Surrey).

They must be in the same place as all the Olivias I have an Olivia and she's the only one in her school year. Jack is lovely, its my grandfathers name and always floated about our boys names list. I don't know any - I know of one.

I know 2 Jacks one is in ds3 school the other lives in London,it would depend on your area i suppose and how popular the name is where you are.
If you really like go for it

I'm down south and know of a 5 year old and a new born called Jack. Also know a Jak who is 4(ish)

If the one I'm having in May is a boy he will be Jack. :) I know only one. Am American though.