Clark vs Jan

Clark and Jancompared 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.

Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Clark was ranked #770 and Jan #330 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Clark was ranked #352 and Jan #352 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Clark was ranked #382 and Jan #535 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Clark was ranked #945 and Jan #514 among boys in England and Wales.

Clark and Jan over time

Clark and Jan appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Jan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Clark 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.

Clark reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Jan 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 · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Clark held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Jan in 27.
Highest recorded here: Clark #355 in 2014, Jan #226 in 2017.
The order changed in 1998: Jan moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #759 and #809; by 1998 that had become #887 and #502.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clark #945, Jan #514.

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 Jan

Pairs where Jan shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Jan vs Aksel
Jan and Aksel were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #149 and #25.
Jan · Aksel · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Jan vs Anders
Jan and Anders were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #149 and #293.
Jan · Anders · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Jan vs Christian
Jan and Christian were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #149 and #131.
Jan · Christian · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
David vs Jan
David and Jan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #149.
David · Jan · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Clark, Jan
Field	Clark	Jan
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Editorially researched profile
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	A form of Johannes used across many European languages, from Hebrew Yochanan via Greek Ioannes — 'Yahweh is gracious'.
Origin	Not yet recorded	Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	/ˈjɑːn/
Syllables	1	1
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Scotland · Boys #382 (2024)	Norway · Boys #149 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Jan has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission); Clark does not have one recorded yet.
Clark and Jan both have 1 syllable.
A meaning is recorded for Jan; Clark doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.

How each name got here

Clark

Popularity journey

First recorded1996
First recorded at #620 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #271 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #945 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys

Jan

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #2 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: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #149 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys