Namewise

Daniel vs Lars

Daniel and Larscompared 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, Daniel was ranked #59 and Lars #1859 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Norway · Boys

    In 2025, Daniel was ranked #66 and Lars #90 among boys in Norway.

Daniel and Lars over time

Daniel and Lars appear together in 2 published lists, across 110 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.

Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.

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.

  • One moved ahead of the other

    In 1987, Daniel moved ahead of Lars in Norway · Boys — #9 and #3 the year before became #4 and #6.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Daniel and Lars were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #66 and #90.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Daniel #2 in 1996, Lars #1110 in 1998.

List by list

  • Norway · Boys81 shared years, 19452025

    Daniel held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Lars in 42.

    Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 1989, Lars #2 in 1976.

    The order changed in 1987: Daniel moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #9 and #3; by 1987 that had become #4 and #6.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #66, Lars #90.

  • England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 19962024

    Daniel held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Lars in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1996, Lars #1110 in 1998.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #59, Lars #1859.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Daniel, Lars
FieldDanielLars
Record typeEditorially researched profileOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningCommonly interpreted as 'God is my judge', referencing the biblical prophet Daniel.Not yet recorded
OriginBiblical HebrewNot yet recorded
Pronunciation/ˈdænjəl/
Syllables21
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZGB-ENW, NO
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Boys #13 (2025)Norway · Boys #90 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/100Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10060/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Daniel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Lars does not have one recorded yet.
  • Daniel has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Lars.
  • A meaning is recorded for Daniel; Lars doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.

How each name got here

Daniel

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #280 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1954–2023

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1954–2023).

    New Zealand · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #64 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Lars

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #24 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Norway, in 1976 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys