Arnulf vs Ben
Arnulf and Bencompared 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 1973, Arnulf was ranked #488 and Ben #342 among boys in Norway.
Arnulf and Ben over time
Arnulf and Ben appear together in 1 published list, across 18 years of shared records. Arnulf held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ben 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 Ben 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 Ben changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1950 and 1973, ending at #488 and #342.
List by list
Norway · Boys18 shared years, 1950–1973
Arnulf held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Ben in 7.
Highest recorded here: Arnulf #190 in 1954, Ben #233 in 1965.
The order changed in 1969: Ben moved ahead. In 1968 they stood at #334 and #357; by 1969 that had become #504 and #293.
Most recent shared year, 1973: Arnulf #488, Ben #342.
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 | Ben |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of Benjamin, Benedict and other names beginning with 'Ben'; in Dutch, can also be short for Bernhard. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew/Germanic, short form |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈbɛn/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #488 (1973) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #40 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ben has a recorded origin (Hebrew/Germanic, short form); Arnulf does not have one recorded yet.
- Arnulf has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ben.
- A meaning is recorded for Ben; Arnulf doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
Ben
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #376 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #40 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys