Asle vs Harry
Asle and Harrycompared 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 1997, Asle was ranked #297 and Harry #410 among boys in Norway.
Asle and Harry over time
Asle and Harry appear together in 1 published list, across 44 years of shared records. Asle held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Harry 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.
Harry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Asle 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
Asle and Harry changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1997, ending at #297 and #410.
- Longest-running competitions
Asle and Harry were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 44 years, from 1945 to 1997, ending at #297 and #410.
List by list
Norway · Boys44 shared years, 1945–1997
Asle held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Harry in 18.
Highest recorded here: Asle #117 in 1959, Harry #69 in 1946.
The order changed in 1991: Asle moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #407 and #396; by 1991 that had become #347 and #575.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Asle #297, Harry #410.
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 | Asle | Harry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈhæri/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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 #519 (2005) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Harry has a recorded origin (English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry); Asle does not have one recorded yet.
- Asle and Harry both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Harry; Asle doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Asle
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #149 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2005
Highest recorded position: #117 among boys in Norway, in 1959 (recorded 1945–2005).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #519 among boys in Norway, in 2005.
Norway · Boys
Harry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #70 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: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys