Bear vs Hans
Bear and Hanscompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Bear was ranked #519 and Hans #3254 among boys in England and Wales.
Bear and Hans over time
Bear and Hans appear together in 1 published list, across 17 years of shared records. Bear held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Hans 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.
Hans reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Bear 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys17 shared years, 2007–2024
Bear held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Hans in 1.
Highest recorded here: Bear #342 in 2022, Hans #1819 in 2014.
The order changed in 2012: Bear moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #2613 and #2613; by 2012 that had become #1313 and #3987.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Bear #519, Hans #3254.
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 | Bear | Hans |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #676 (2025) | Norway · Boys #97 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Bear and Hans both have 1 syllable.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Bear
Popularity journey
First recorded2007
First recorded at #3095 among boys in England and Wales in 2007 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Hans
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #11 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: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #97 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys