Carl vs Lance
Carl and Lancecompared 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.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1991, Carl was ranked #95 and Lance #99 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2005, Carl was ranked #185 and Lance #518 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Carl was ranked #2263 and Lance #1595 among boys in England and Wales.
Carl and Lance over time
Carl and Lance appear together in 2 published lists, across 59 years of shared records. Carl held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Lance 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.
Carl reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lance 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
Carl and Lance changed places 5 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1959 and 1991, ending at #95 and #99.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Carl and Lance averaged 18.6 places apart, ending at #95 and #99.
- Longest-running competitions
Carl and Lance were both ranked in New Zealand · Boys for 30 years, from 1959 to 1991, ending at #95 and #99.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Carl #116 in 1996, Lance #513 in 1996.
List by list
New Zealand · Boys30 shared years, 1959–1991
Carl held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Lance in 14.
Highest recorded here: Carl #41 in 1981, Lance #43 in 1983.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1991: Carl #95, Lance #99.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Carl held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Lance in 2.
Highest recorded here: Carl #116 in 1996, Lance #513 in 1996.
The order changed in 2024: Lance moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #1407 and #1461; by 2024 that had become #2263 and #1595.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Carl #2263, Lance #1595.
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 | Carl | Lance |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #192 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #1595 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Carl has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Lance.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Carl
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #133 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1959–1992
Highest recorded position: #41 among boys in New Zealand, in 1981 (recorded 1959–1992).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #192 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Lance
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #94 among boys in New Zealand in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1991
Highest recorded position: #43 among boys in New Zealand, in 1983 (recorded 1954–1991).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1595 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys