Elling vs Ivan
Elling and Ivancompared 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, Elling was ranked #261 and Ivan #235 among boys in Norway.
Elling and Ivan over time
Elling and Ivan appear together in 1 published list, across 59 years of shared records. Ivan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elling in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Elling reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ivan 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
Elling and Ivan changed places 6 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #261 and #235.
- Longest-running competitions
Elling and Ivan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 59 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #261 and #235.
List by list
Norway · Boys59 shared years, 1945–2025
Elling held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Ivan in 56.
Highest recorded here: Elling #222 in 1955, Ivan #153 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elling #261, Ivan #235.
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 | Elling | Ivan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Slavic form of John, commonly interpreted as 'God is gracious'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Old Church Slavic, via Greek Ioannes |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈaɪvən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #261 (2025) | Norway · Boys #235 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ivan has a recorded origin (Old Church Slavic, via Greek Ioannes); Elling does not have one recorded yet.
- Elling and Ivan both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ivan; Elling doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Elling
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #247 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: #222 among boys in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #261 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Ivan
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #192 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1959
Highest recorded position: #83 among boys in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1959).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #235 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys