Elias vs Nils
Elias and Nilscompared 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Elias was ranked #4 and Nils #61 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Elias was ranked #69 and Nils #4275 among boys in England and Wales.
Elias and Nils over time
Elias and Nils appear together in 2 published lists, across 91 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.
Nils reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Elias 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.
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 1995, Elias moved ahead of Nils in Norway · Boys — #113 and #91 the year before became #93 and #120.
- Mirrored each other
Over 25 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Elias rose about as far as Nils fell — from #435 and #2020 in 1996 to #69 and #4275 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Elias and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 66 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #4 and #61.
List by list
Norway · Boys66 shared years, 1945–2025
Elias held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Nils in 35.
Highest recorded here: Elias #3 in 2006, Nils #23 in 1951.
The order changed in 1995: Elias moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #113 and #91; by 1995 that had become #93 and #120.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elias #4, Nils #61.
England and Wales · Boys25 shared years, 1996–2025
Elias held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Nils in 0.
Highest recorded here: Elias #69 in 2025, Nils #1746 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elias #69, Nils #4275.
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 | Elias | Nils |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of Elijah, commonly interpreted as 'my God is Yahweh'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈlaɪəs/ | |
| 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 | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #4 (2025) | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elias has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek); Nils does not have one recorded yet.
- Elias has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Nils.
- A meaning is recorded for Elias; Nils doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elias
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #328 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 2006 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #69 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 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: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4275 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys