Boy name origins & meanings
- Hebrew: The supplanter
- Hebrew: God's grace
What does Jack mean and stand for?
The name Jack is of English origin and means "God is gracious." Derived from the name John, Jack became popular in the Middle Ages. Before landing on Jack, the name went from John to Johnkin to Jankin to Jackin.
Syllables: 1
Discover more baby name meanings to learn what's behind every name.
Boy name variations
Family name origins & meanings
- Scottish and English: from a Middle English personal name, Jakke, from Old French Jacques, the usual French form of Latin Jacobus, which is the source of both Jacob and James. As a family name in Britain, this is almost exclusively Scottish.
- English and Welsh: from the same personal name as 1, taken as a pet form of John.
- German (also Jäck): from a short form of the personal name Jacob.
- Americanized form of one or more like-sounding Jewish surnames.
Famous people with this first name
Famous people who gave their babies this name
Popularity of the name Jack
According to Social Security Administration data, Jack has been consistently popular, remaining in the top 50 since 2000, and breaking into the top 20 in 2019.
However, it is the 32nd most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.
According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Jack was at its peak popularity in August 2018.
Jack originated in medieval England and is a derivative of the name John. During the Middle Ages, the name became so popular it was used as a generic reference for men. For years, Jack was the most popular boy name in England, but it is still quite popular in America. Jack is a familiar name from early childhood with the likes of Jack and Jill, Jack Sprat, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Jack Horner to name a few. Jack has also become a popular name for main characters in TV shows 24, Lost, and 30 Rock.
How to pronounce "Jack?"
Jack is pronounced as:[ j AE k ]
Popularity of the name Jack in the United States
Nicknames for Jack
- Jacko
- Jacky
- Jax
- Jay
