Ben vs Ulf
Ben and Ulfcompared 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 2000, Ben was ranked #413 and Ulf #577 among boys in Norway.
Ben and Ulf over time
Ben and Ulf appear together in 1 published list, across 43 years of shared records. Ulf 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.
Ulf 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 Ulf changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1950 and 2000, ending at #413 and #577.
- Longest-running competitions
Ben and Ulf were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 43 years, from 1950 to 2000, ending at #413 and #577.
List by list
Norway · Boys43 shared years, 1950–2000
Ben held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Ulf in 33.
Highest recorded here: Ben #233 in 1965, Ulf #79 in 1958.
The order changed in 1993: Ben moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #583 and #441; by 1993 that had become #375 and #634.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Ben #413, Ulf #577.
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 | Ulf |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| 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 #577 (2000) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| 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); Ulf does not have one recorded yet.
- Ben and Ulf both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Ben; Ulf 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
Ulf
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #94 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2000
Highest recorded position: #79 among boys in Norway, in 1958 (recorded 1945–2000).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2000
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Norway, in 2000.
Norway · Boys