Erik vs Per
Erik and Percompared 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, Erik was ranked #64 and Per #142 among boys in Norway.
Erik and Per over time
Erik and Per appear together in 1 published list, across 81 years of shared records. Erik held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Per 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.
Per reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Erik 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1984, Erik moved ahead of Per in Norway · Boys — #20 and #19 the year before became #20 and #23.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Erik and Per averaged 53.1 places apart, ending at #64 and #142.
- Longest-running competitions
Erik and Per were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #64 and #142.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Erik held the stronger position in 45 of those years, Per in 36.
Highest recorded here: Erik #15 in 1981, Per #1 in 1945.
The order changed in 1984: Erik moved ahead. In 1983 they stood at #20 and #19; by 1984 that had become #20 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Erik #64, Per #142.
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 | Erik | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally interpreted as 'eternal ruler' or 'honoured ruler'; historically a name borne by kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Old Norse | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeːrɪk/ | |
| 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 #64 (2025) | Norway · Boys #142 (2025) |
| 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
- Erik has a recorded origin (Old Norse); Per does not have one recorded yet.
- Erik has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Per.
- A meaning is recorded for Erik; Per doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Erik
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #27 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: #15 among boys in Norway, in 1981 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #64 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Per
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #1 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 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #142 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys