David vs Morten
David and Mortencompared 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 2015, David was ranked #43 and Morten #4747 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Morten #214 among boys in Norway.
David and Morten over time
David and Morten appear together in 2 published lists, across 92 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 2002, David moved ahead of Morten in Norway · Boys — #63 and #61 the year before became #61 and #73.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Morten were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #214.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Morten in 56.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Morten #3 in 1973.
The order changed in 2002: David moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #63 and #61; by 2002 that had become #61 and #73.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Morten #214.
England and Wales · Boys11 shared years, 1997–2015
David held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Morten in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #35 in 1997, Morten #2189 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: David #43, Morten #4747.
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 | Morten |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Norway · Boys #214 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- David has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Morten does not have one recorded yet.
- David and Morten both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for David; Morten doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
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
Morten
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #107 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: #3 among boys in Norway, in 1973 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #214 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys