Emil vs Leiv
Emil and Leivcompared 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 2011, Emil was ranked #1 and Leiv #551 among boys in Norway.
Emil and Leiv over time
Emil and Leiv appear together in 1 published list, across 48 years of shared records. Leiv 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.
Leiv 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Leiv were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 48 years, from 1945 to 2011, ending at #1 and #551.
List by list
Norway · Boys48 shared years, 1945–2011
Emil held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Leiv in 25.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2011, Leiv #117 in 1946.
The order changed in 1973: Emil moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #361 and #251; by 1973 that had become #217 and #474.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Emil #1, Leiv #551.
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 | Leiv |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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 #551 (2011) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| 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); Leiv does not have one recorded yet.
- Emil has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Leiv.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Leiv 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
Leiv
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #124 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2011
Highest recorded position: #117 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2011).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2011
Most recently recorded at #551 among boys in Norway, in 2011.
Norway · Boys