Elias vs Widar
Elias and Widarcompared 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 1974, Elias was ranked #489 and Widar #640 among boys in Norway.
Elias and Widar over time
Elias and Widar appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Widar held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elias 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.
Elias reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Widar 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Elias #310 in 1951, Widar #255 in 1953.
List by list
Norway · Boys10 shared years, 1951–1974
Elias held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Widar in 9.
Highest recorded here: Elias #310 in 1951, Widar #255 in 1953.
The order changed in 1974: Elias moved ahead. In 1973 they stood at #531 and #515; by 1974 that had become #489 and #640.
Most recent shared year, 1974: Elias #489, Widar #640.
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 | Widar |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #640 (1974) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| 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); Widar does not have one recorded yet.
- Elias and Widar both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Elias; Widar 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 #35 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Widar
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #377 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1947–1974
Highest recorded position: #212 among boys in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1947–1974).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1974
Most recently recorded at #640 among boys in Norway, in 1974.
Norway · Boys