David vs Nikolai
David and Nikolaicompared 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 Nikolai #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Nikolai #1235 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Nikolai #103 among boys in Norway.
David and Nikolai over time
David and Nikolai appear together in 2 published lists, across 93 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Nikolai in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
David and Nikolai changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 2025, ending at #88 and #103.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Nikolai were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 64 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #88 and #103.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — David #31 in 2005, Nikolai #41 in 2004.
List by list
Norway · Boys64 shared years, 1946–2025
David held the stronger position in 56 of those years, Nikolai in 8.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Nikolai #41 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Nikolai #103.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Nikolai in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Nikolai #894 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Nikolai #1235.
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 | Nikolai |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Norway · Boys #103 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- David has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Nikolai does not have one recorded yet.
- David has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Nikolai.
- A meaning is recorded for David; Nikolai doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, 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
Nikolai
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #349 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #41 among boys in Norway, in 2004 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #103 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys