Espen vs Jonathan
Espen 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, Espen was ranked #430 and Jonathan #93 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Espen was ranked #5119 and Jonathan #302 among boys in England and Wales.
Espen and Jonathan over time
Espen and Jonathan appear together in 2 published lists, across 80 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 2003, Jonathan moved ahead of Espen in Norway · Boys — #60 and #80 the year before became #105 and #60.
- Mirrored each other
Over 64 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jonathan rose about as far as Espen fell — from #222 and #371 in 1949 to #430 and #93 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Espen and Jonathan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 64 years, from 1949 to 2025, ending at #430 and #93.
List by list
Norway · Boys64 shared years, 1949–2025
Espen held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Jonathan in 23.
Highest recorded here: Espen #8 in 1982, Jonathan #32 in 2011.
The order changed in 2003: Jonathan moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #60 and #80; by 2003 that had become #105 and #60.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Espen #430, Jonathan #93.
England and Wales · Boys16 shared years, 2002–2024
Espen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jonathan in 16.
Highest recorded here: Espen #2693 in 2018, Jonathan #80 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Espen #5119, Jonathan #302.
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 | Espen | 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 | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #430 (2025) | Norway · Boys #93 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Espen has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Jonathan.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Espen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #315 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: #8 among boys in Norway, in 1982 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #430 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