Elling vs Jonathan
Elling and Jonathancompared 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 Jonathan #93 among boys in Norway.
Elling and Jonathan over time
Elling and Jonathan appear together in 1 published list, across 44 years of shared records. Jonathan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elling 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.
Jonathan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Elling 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 Jonathan changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1958 and 2025, ending at #261 and #93.
- Longest-running competitions
Elling and Jonathan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 44 years, from 1958 to 2025, ending at #261 and #93.
List by list
Norway · Boys44 shared years, 1958–2025
Elling held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Jonathan in 36.
Highest recorded here: Elling #246 in 2022, Jonathan #37 in 2010.
The order changed in 1980: Jonathan moved ahead. In 1979 they stood at #416 and #422; by 1980 that had become #627 and #278.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elling #261, Jonathan #93.
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 | Jonathan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #261 (2025) | Norway · Boys #93 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elling has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Jonathan.
- 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
Jonathan
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #371 among boys in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1957–2013
Highest recorded position: #15 among boys in New Zealand, in 1982 (recorded 1957–2013).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #93 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys