Elias vs Torkil
Elias and Torkilcompared 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 2018, Elias was ranked #5 and Torkil #494 among boys in Norway.
Elias and Torkil over time
Elias and Torkil appear together in 1 published list, across 40 years of shared records. Elias held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Torkil in 0.
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.
Torkil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elias and Torkil changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1958 and 2018, ending at #5 and #494.
- Longest-running competitions
Elias and Torkil were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 40 years, from 1958 to 2018, ending at #5 and #494.
List by list
Norway · Boys40 shared years, 1958–2018
Elias held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Torkil in 5.
Highest recorded here: Elias #5 in 2007, Torkil #314 in 1990.
The order changed in 1979: Elias moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #611 and #592; by 1979 that had become #488 and #600.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Elias #5, Torkil #494.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Elias
Pairs where Elias shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Elias vs Einar
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Boys, Elias rose about as far as Einar fell — from #328 and #23 in 1945 to #4 and #57 in 2025.
Elias · Einar · 66 shared years, 1945–2025 · Mirrored each other
- Elias vs Erik
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Boys, Elias rose about as far as Erik fell — from #328 and #27 in 1945 to #4 and #64 in 2025.
Elias · Erik · 66 shared years, 1945–2025 · Mirrored each other
- Elias vs Morten
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Boys, Elias rose about as far as Morten fell — from #328 and #107 in 1945 to #4 and #214 in 2025.
Elias · Morten · 66 shared years, 1945–2025 · Mirrored each other
- Elias vs Nils
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Boys, Elias rose about as far as Nils fell — from #328 and #26 in 1945 to #4 and #61 in 2025.
Elias · Nils · 66 shared years, 1945–2025 · Mirrored each other
Side by side
| Field | Elias | Torkil |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #4 (2025) | Norway · Boys #494 (2018) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elias has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek); Torkil does not have one recorded yet.
- Elias and Torkil both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Elias; Torkil doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Torkil
Popularity journey
First recorded1956
First recorded at #442 among boys in Norway in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1956–2018
Highest recorded position: #314 among boys in Norway, in 1990 (recorded 1956–2018).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2018
Most recently recorded at #494 among boys in Norway, in 2018.
Norway · Boys