David vs Jan
David 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 2025, David was ranked #45 and Jan #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Jan #514 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Jan #535 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, David was ranked #88 and Jan #352 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Jan #149 among boys in Norway.
David and Jan over time
David and Jan appear together in 4 published lists, across 164 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Jan in 1.
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.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Jan in 1. 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2000, David moved ahead of Jan in Norway · Boys — #67 and #56 the year before became #64 and #65.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Jan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #149.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Jan in 55.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Jan #1 in 1946.
The order changed in 2000: David moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #67 and #56; by 2000 that had become #64 and #65.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Jan #149.
Republic of Ireland · Boys39 shared years, 1967–2025
David held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Jan in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1988, Jan #114 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Jan #372.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Jan in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Jan #226 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Jan #514.
Northern Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 2005–2022
David held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Jan in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #34 in 2005, Jan #222 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: David #88, Jan #352.
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 | David | Jan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | A form of Johannes used across many European languages, from Hebrew Yochanan via Greek Ioannes — 'Yahweh is gracious'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈjɑːn/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Norway · Boys #149 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jan is recorded with a Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission origin.
- David has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Jan.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Jan's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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