Arild vs Kay
Arild and Kaycompared 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 1996, Arild was ranked #221 and Kay #525 among boys in Norway.
Arild and Kay over time
Arild and Kay appear together in 1 published list, across 50 years of shared records. Arild held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kay in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Arild reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Kay 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Arild and Kay were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 50 years, from 1945 to 1996, ending at #221 and #525.
List by list
Norway · Boys50 shared years, 1945–1996
Arild held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Kay in 0.
Highest recorded here: Arild #22 in 1953, Kay #147 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1996: Arild #221, Kay #525.
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 | Arild | Kay |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #489 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3970 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arild has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Kay.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Arild
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #32 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #22 among boys in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #489 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Kay
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #286 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1963
Highest recorded position: #39 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1963).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #3970 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls