Ben vs Oddvin
Ben and Oddvincompared 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 1976, Ben was ranked #314 and Oddvin #615 among boys in Norway.
Ben and Oddvin over time
Ben and Oddvin appear together in 1 published list, across 18 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.
Oddvin 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
Ben and Oddvin changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1950 and 1976, ending at #314 and #615.
List by list
Norway · Boys18 shared years, 1950–1976
Ben held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Oddvin in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ben #233 in 1965, Oddvin #211 in 1952.
The order changed in 1969: Ben moved ahead. In 1968 they stood at #488 and #442; by 1969 that had become #293 and #580.
Most recent shared year, 1976: Ben #314, Oddvin #615.
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 | Ben | Oddvin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A short form of Benjamin, Benedict and other names beginning with 'Ben'; in Dutch, can also be short for Bernhard. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew/Germanic, short form | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛn/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #40 (2025) | Norway · Boys #615 (1976) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ben has a recorded origin (Hebrew/Germanic, short form); Oddvin does not have one recorded yet.
- Ben has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Oddvin.
- A meaning is recorded for Ben; Oddvin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
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
Oddvin
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #262 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1976
Highest recorded position: #187 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–1976).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1976
Most recently recorded at #615 among boys in Norway, in 1976.
Norway · Boys