Aleksander vs Shan
Aleksander and Shancompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Aleksander was ranked #342 and Shan #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Aleksander was ranked #414 and Shan #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Aleksander and Shan over time
Aleksander and Shan appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Aleksander held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Shan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Aleksander 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1996–2020
Aleksander held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Shan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Aleksander #233 in 2019, Shan #1642 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Aleksander #342, Shan #4608.
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 | Aleksander | Shan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 4 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #117 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #414 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 64/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Aleksander has 4 syllables, compared with 1 for Shan.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Aleksander
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #355 among boys in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1953–2025
Highest recorded position: #26 among boys in Norway, in 1986 (recorded 1953–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #117 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Shan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3795 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #4645 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls