Tell me if I’m way off here…
I love Jakeb, but Jaken sounds off to me. I can’t pin-point it. It’s just unsettling.
Have you considered [name]Jacoby[/name] (Juh-KO-bee)?
DH thinks [name]Jacoby[/name] is too girly sounding 
[quote=“themama777”]
DH thinks [name]Jacoby[/name] is too girly sounding :([/quote]
I like Jakeb best. I have also seen it spelled [name]Jakob[/name].
If you don’t want a name that looks “totally made up,” I’d suggest staying away from Jaken, which looks and sounds invented to me (and which, at first glance, I thought was a typo of the word “taken”).
To me, Jakeb simply looks misspelled, not unique, and I honestly can’t imagine the spelling on a professional adult. (I also imagine he’ll be spending a large chunk of time correcting people’s spelling.) No matter how you spell the name, it’s still pronounced [name]Jacob[/name], and it’s still the number one name for boys.
[name]Even[/name] so, I think that [name]Jacob[/name] (nn [name]Jake[/name]) is a very handsome, classy name that will age well. You need to do what’s right for you, but to me, the Jakeb spelling simply looks trendy and yooneek, and lacks the charm of [name]Jacob[/name].
Some more J names you may like:
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Jude[/name]
[name]Josiah[/name]
[name]Judah[/name]
[name]Jeremiah[/name]
[name]Jonah[/name]
[name]Jackson[/name]
[name]Jameson[/name]
[name]James[/name]
[name]Joseph[/name]
[name]Jefferson[/name]
More unusual:
[name]Jericho[/name]
[name]Janson[/name]
[name]Japheth[/name] (nn [name]Japhy[/name])
[name]Jarrett[/name]
[name]Jarvis[/name]
[name]Joaquin[/name]
Good luck! 
I actually totally disagree. I think Jakeb looks like it could be a traditional spelling.
I’m sorry, but I do not like Jaken. I see some horrible teasing potential there. Its one letter off from being Jacken, and that just spells trouble for an adolescent boy. Jakeb - I am also not a fan of, maybe [name]Jakob[/name]? That is another alternative to [name]Jacob[/name]. If you loved [name]Jaxen[/name]/[name]Jaxon[/name] so much, you could still use it, for your son. BUt personally, Jakeb, spelt that way, doesnt seem unique. Its still [name]Jacob[/name], just spelt weird. I think the name [name]Jericho[/name] would be perfect for you! Its unique and still sounds normal. You could call him [name]Rico[/name] or [name]Ricky[/name] or [name]Jerry[/name] or just [name]Jericho[/name].
[quote=“coutureforsure”]
I actually totally disagree. I think Jakeb looks like it could be a traditional spelling.[/quote]
[name]How[/name] do you mean it looks like it could be a traditional spelling? It’s not a traditional spelling or a valid foreign variant, so it only looks misspelled to most people.
[name]How[/name] about [name]Jago[/name], which is Cornish? I think you can still use [name]Jake[/name]. There are a few other interesting variations I’ve found, most I feel unusable myself, but if you are feeling adventurous, [name]Jakab[/name] (Hungarian), [name]Jakob[/name] ([name]German[/name], Scandinavian, Dutch, Slovene, Estonian, Croatian), and [name]Jakub[/name] (Polish, Czech, Slovak) are actually listed as variations on Behind the Names, as well as some other ways to [name]Jake[/name]. I kind of think even in the case of foreign variants, it can look like trying too hard and by most will be perceived as spelling it your own original way, especially if you aren’t from any of those countries when you offer to explain them, that you just picked them because they weren’t spelled like the “obvious” standard American spelling, and it is still the #1 name. Most people won’t ask where you found such a unique name (because it’s not a unique name - it is #1 spelled strange), they will just make assumptions, and furthermore not judge the child as much as how it makes the parents look. If you think we’re bad, there are other forums where people couldn’t recognize a foreign variation if it bit them on the tush and put down the parents as ignorant, and it’s hard to push back if you are in love with a foreign name or have a relative/ancestor, or have not recently immigrated from one of those countries, especially when they won’t say it to your face probably.
I really love [name]Jake[/name] but don’t like [name]Jacob[/name], and think I would really just use [name]Jake[/name] as a full name. I have no problem with that. I wouldn’t warp the name [name]Jacob[/name] into a new spelling just to avoid the standard and most popular - I think that’s sort of pointless and counter-productive, but a lot of American parents do not consider it so, and your Jakeb or whatever will ultimately have some peers in the same boat, so to speak. In the future, employers may have to understand that, and some of their peers certainly will not think too poorly of the spelling difference. Since I really don’t like the name [name]Jacob[/name], I can’t tell if Jakeb really bothers me on principle or just as I don’t like the name anyway.
Jaken, likewise, sounds made up totally, but doesn’t differ from some other trendy choices, so that may be your style - to make up names because you don’t like the list of choices. Jaken, by that standard is ok, but the sound of it is kind of awkward. It sounds like chicken and shaken and comes off kind of weird. I wonder if [name]John[/name] - and the multitudes of interesting variations, more likely - could be called [name]Jake[/name] instead of [name]Jack[/name]. It’s worth noting that [name]Jacob[/name] and [name]James[/name] have a related etymology, so forms of [name]James[/name] are also worth looking into.
I would have to agree.
[name]Love[/name] [name]Jacob[/name] nn [name]Jake[/name] even though it’s so popular.
Jakeb look like a combo of [name]Caleb[/name] and [name]Jacob[/name]. Looks like somebody goofed on the birth certificate. Goofs on birth certificates happen all the time even though new parents are often offered a name dictionary when they fill out info for the birth certificate. It beats me. I looked up my kids’ names in the name dictionary and made sure their first and middle names were spelled correctly when I was approached by the birth certificate lady. I was worried that labor and delivery had fried my brain and made it so I couldn’t spell anymore.
Jaken is disturbing and makes me think of j-ing off. Not a good choice.
Here is a unique “J” name that you might like: [name]Jurgen[/name]. But it sounds like jerking, so that isn’t so good. Unless it’s pronounced “Yerghen”. Oh, maybe you would like [name]Julian[/name] nn [name]Jules[/name]. [name]Justin[/name] is a bit dated, but it’s so cute. [name]Love[/name] it! What about [name]Jasper[/name]? Or the Scandinavian [name]Jesper[/name]?
[name]How[/name] about [name]Jakub[/name]? That’s a traditional variation (perhaps its Romanian – correct me if I’m wrong).
I dont see how spelling the name Jakeb in any way distinguish him from the other 15 Jacobs in his school. Arent you pronouncing them the same? I would stick with [name]Jacob[/name]. Jaken looks made up too me. If you really want [name]Jake[/name] I think it can stand on its own. [name]Jake[/name] ranked 124 last year so a lot of people are using it on its own.
I would prn [name]Jakob[/name] YAH-cub, not like [name]Jacob[/name].
Jaken is a horrible idea, sorry, but it truly made me cringe when I read it. The spelling Jakeb makes you seem illiterate (I’m sure you’re not, but others will wonder) and when it boils down to it, it’s the exact same name pronunciation-wise as [name]Jacob[/name], just misspelled. Nothing good can come of such a hack-spelling job, trust me. [name]Jake[/name] was on our short list, but at the end of the day I knew that [name]Jacob[/name] was the #1 boys name and undoubtedly, some of those boys will go by [name]Jake[/name]. We dropped it, but it’s still a fine name. [name]Just[/name] please, please, for all that is good in the world, don’t make up spellings. It won’t make your child unique, it will make him and his parents seem uneducated (yet again, not saying that you actually are, but that will be the perception).
What about [name]Jacoby[/name] and you get the nn’s of [name]Jake[/name] or [name]Coby[/name]
Oh the unique spelling/ made up variant debate. We’ve finally managed to combine the two. Not sure why this particular debate gets people so fired up. Some don’t see the point in changing a classic. Others want something just a little different. Is either pov so hard to understand?
If Jakeb speaks to you more than [name]Jacob[/name], use it. Who cares?
I’m not sure I like the sound of Jaken. It’s like the beginning is so hard and the ending is too soft. For some reason Jakon sounds a little better to me (jay-kun instead of jay-kin) but i think people would be more likely to pronounce it jack-un. which is no good.
but if you love jaken, go ahead adn use it. It’s not a bad name
If unique among his peers is part of your criteria for a name, no teacher is ever going to distinguish between your Jakeb (which looks like a typo to me) and the 5 other Jacobs that are in the classroom. He’ll be Jakeb C., just like all the other kids who are named [name]Jacob[/name], even if he doesn’t necessarily start out that way.
Personally I don’t like Jakeb or Jaken. They both just look made up to me, and Jaken sounds really awkward to me. My first thought was that they look like typos, sorry. [name]Jacob[/name] however is a nice name and I think that especially since you want something a little more unique you could spell it [name]Jakob[/name]. That spelling is way less popular while still being a legitimate name and you can still get the nickname [name]Jake[/name]. Good luck.
I’m usually really open, but these just really look made up. I’m sorry!
Jakeb looks like you were trying to type [name]Jake[/name] B and forgot the space, and Jaken, I don’t even know what it looks like its just wrong. I keep hearing Bacon. Stick with [name]Jacob[/name] or the other spellings mentioned, please! And by the way, I’d have to agree with previous posters. No matter how you spell it they will all be pronounced the same, and thus not original.
why not something like joachim or jochen/jachen(both pronounced the same) and just nickname him jake…or even joaquin, that could also work?