Too many Jakes? Huskies lineup highlights the problem with a popular boys name



SEATTLE -- The most popular boys name in the 2000s was Jacob -- by a long shot -- and it has become problematic a decade later.

The Wall Street Journal used the University of Washington Huskies football team as an example. They have four quarterbacks named Jake or Jacob.

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdam told the Journal he didn't even think about it until they were all in the same room, so he had to improvise: Redshirt freshman Jake Haener became "Haener," while Jacob Sirmon and Jacob Eason are called "Sirm" and "Eas," respectively.

Eason, by the way, transferred to UW after losing the starting job at Georgia -- to Jake Fromm.

Starting quarterback Jake Browning is the only one who gets the privilege of being called Jake.

The Huskies also have a linebacker named Jake and a tight end named Jacob.

Maybe you've noticed the same thing at work or school.

For more than a decade, from 1999 until 2012, Jacob was the most popular name in America. Noah took the crown in 2013, replaced by Liam in 2017.

Michael had a good, long run as the most popular boys name from the 1960s through the 1990s.

It was James in the '40s and '50s, and Robert in the '20s and '30s.

But back to Jake. He's growing up, and so are all of those other Jakes and Jacobs. They're about 18 or 19 years old now, and they are the most common boys name in classrooms, sports teams and dating sites.

Oh, and the author of the Wall Street Journal report? His name is Jacob, too.