Arnulf vs Arthur
Arnulf and Arthurcompared 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 1972, Arnulf was ranked #544 and Arthur #509 among boys in Norway.
Arnulf and Arthur over time
Arnulf and Arthur appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Arthur held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Arnulf 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.
Arnulf reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Arthur 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
Arnulf and Arthur changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1972, ending at #544 and #509.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Norway · Boys, Arnulf and Arthur averaged 52.5 places apart, ending at #544 and #509.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Arnulf #145 in 1945, Arthur #122 in 1946.
List by list
Norway · Boys26 shared years, 1945–1972
Arnulf held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Arthur in 19.
Highest recorded here: Arnulf #145 in 1945, Arthur #122 in 1946.
The order changed in 1969: Arthur moved ahead. In 1968 they stood at #334 and #335; by 1969 that had become #504 and #281.
Most recent shared year, 1972: Arnulf #544, Arthur #509.
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 | Arnulf | Arthur |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Disputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly Roman |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɑɹθər/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Art, Artie |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #488 (1973) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #19 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Arthur has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly Roman); Arnulf does not have one recorded yet.
- Arnulf and Arthur both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Arthur; Arnulf doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Arnulf a "medium" Data Confidence level and Arthur a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Arnulf
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #145 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1973
Highest recorded position: #145 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–1973).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1973
Most recently recorded at #488 among boys in Norway, in 1973.
Norway · Boys
Arthur
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #153 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in England and Wales, in 2020 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys