Alan vs Idar
Alan and Idarcompared 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 2022, Alan was ranked #308 and Idar #477 among boys in Norway.
Alan and Idar over time
Alan and Idar appear together in 1 published list, across 58 years of shared records. Idar 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.
Idar 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 Idar changed places 13 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 2022, ending at #308 and #477.
- Longest-running competitions
Alan and Idar were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 58 years, from 1946 to 2022, ending at #308 and #477.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1946–2022
Alan held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Idar in 33.
Highest recorded here: Alan #184 in 2015, Idar #131 in 1956.
The order changed in 2003: Alan moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #527 and #340; by 2003 that had become #232 and #461.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Alan #308, Idar #477.
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 | Idar |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| 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 #477 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| 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)); Idar does not have one recorded yet.
- Alan and Idar both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Alan; Idar 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
Idar
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #155 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2022
Highest recorded position: #121 among boys in Norway, in 1952 (recorded 1945–2022).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #477 among boys in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Boys