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.

Infographic of Jack name meaning, which is A diminutive of John, Jack is an English name meaning God is gracious.
Ask your friends & family about Jack…

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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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

51 Comments

  1. Jack is a strong, classic name

  2. Nickname for middle name John.

  3. 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”

  4. -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”

    • He smells like a butt hole

  5. 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!

  6. We named him after my husband’s Papa

  7. Late grandfather’s name

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

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

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

  11. 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!

    • The fog is coming

  12. 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!

  13. 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.

    • 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??????????.????????????????????????????????????????????????

  14. 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.

  15. A beautiful, classic, strong boys name

  16. Brothers Name

  17. 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.

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

  19. Means “God is gracious ” Has a wonderful meaning

  20. 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.

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

  22. 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.

  23. We love this name and Jack William was just perfect!

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

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

  28. 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.

  29. 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.

  30. 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.

  31. Its different

    • My brother called Jack.

    • Jack is not different lol lot’s of ppl have the name

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

  33. 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.

  34. 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

  35. We loved how classic, strong and friendly it sounded!

  36. 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.

  37. We were looking for a classic j name.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

    • that’s true jack is a very fun name that’s why I love it

  40. 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.

  41. 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” 🙂

  42. 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)

  43. My Grandfathers name, a true classic!

  44. 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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