Alan vs Bengt
Alan and Bengtcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Boys
In 1999, Alan was ranked #326 and Bengt #545 among boys in Norway.
Alan and Bengt over time
Alan and Bengt appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Bengt held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Alan in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Bengt reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alan in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alan and Bengt changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 1999, ending at #326 and #545.
- Longest-running competitions
Alan and Bengt were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 42 years, from 1946 to 1999, ending at #326 and #545.
List by list
Norway · Boys42 shared years, 1946–1999
Alan held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Bengt in 33.
Highest recorded here: Alan #241 in 1981, Bengt #112 in 1963.
The order changed in 1992: Alan moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #437 and #410; by 1992 that had become #334 and #534.
Most recent shared year, 1999: Alan #326, Bengt #545.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Alan | Bengt |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Exact meaning uncertain — possibly Brythonic for 'little rock', or from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th-5th centuries. Used in Brittany from at least the 6th century, brought to England by Breton settlers after the Norman Conquest. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Uncertain (Brythonic or Alan-tribal) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈæl.ən/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | Norway · Boys #545 (1999) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alan has a recorded origin (Uncertain (Brythonic or Alan-tribal)); Bengt does not have one recorded yet.
- Alan has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Bengt.
- A meaning is recorded for Alan; Bengt doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Alan
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #253 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #9 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #274 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Bengt
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #165 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1999
Highest recorded position: #112 among boys in Norway, in 1963 (recorded 1945–1999).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1999
Most recently recorded at #545 among boys in Norway, in 1999.
Norway · Boys