Emil vs Kjetil
Emil and Kjetilcompared 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 2022, Emil was ranked #1 and Kjetil #420 among boys in Norway.
Emil and Kjetil over time
Emil and Kjetil appear together in 1 published list, across 75 years of shared records. Kjetil held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Emil 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.
Kjetil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emil 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 took the other's place near the top
In Norway · Boys, Emil moved into the top 50 at #34 in 1990 as Kjetil fell out of it to #51, having been #47 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1990, Emil moved ahead of Kjetil in Norway · Boys — #64 and #47 the year before became #34 and #51.
- Mirrored each other
Over 75 shared years in Norway · Boys, Emil rose about as far as Kjetil fell — from #271 and #200 in 1945 to #1 and #420 in 2022.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Kjetil were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 75 years, from 1945 to 2022, ending at #1 and #420.
List by list
Norway · Boys75 shared years, 1945–2022
Emil held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Kjetil in 43.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2008, Kjetil #14 in 1971.
The order changed in 1990: Emil moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #64 and #47; by 1990 that had become #34 and #51.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Emil #1, Kjetil #420.
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 | Emil | Kjetil |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Roman family name Aemilius, itself from Latin 'aemulus' meaning 'rival'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeː.mɪl/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #2 (2025) | Norway · Boys #420 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emil has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions); Kjetil does not have one recorded yet.
- Emil and Kjetil both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Kjetil doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Emil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #271 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: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Kjetil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #200 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2022
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1945–2022).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #420 among boys in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Boys