Bastian vs Nils
Bastian and Nilscompared 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 2025, Bastian was ranked #148 and Nils #61 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Bastian was ranked #2440 and Nils #4275 among boys in England and Wales.
Bastian and Nils over time
Bastian and Nils appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Bastian and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 40 years, from 1981 to 2025, ending at #148 and #61.
List by list
Norway · Boys40 shared years, 1981–2025
Bastian held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nils in 40.
Highest recorded here: Bastian #143 in 2016, Nils #58 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Bastian #148, Nils #61.
England and Wales · Boys12 shared years, 2008–2025
Bastian held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Nils in 3.
Highest recorded here: Bastian #1819 in 2014, Nils #1953 in 2008.
The order changed in 2016: Bastian moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #3373 and #2319; by 2016 that had become #1903 and #4810.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Bastian #2440, Nils #4275.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Nils
Pairs where Nils shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Nils vs Kåre
In 1945 they stood at #26 and #21 in Norway · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #61 and #358.
Nils · Kåre · 75 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Aksel vs Nils
Aksel and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #25 and #61.
Aksel · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Anders vs Nils
Anders and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #61.
Anders · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Andreas vs Nils
Andreas and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #96 and #61.
Andreas · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Bastian | Nils |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #148 (2025) | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Bastian has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Nils.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Bastian
Popularity journey
First recorded1981
First recorded at #629 among boys in Norway in 1981 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #143 among boys in Norway, in 2016 (recorded 1981–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 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: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4275 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys