Espen vs Robert
Espen and Robertcompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Espen was ranked #5119 and Robert #151 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Espen was ranked #430 and Robert #363 among boys in Norway.
Espen and Robert over time
Espen and Robert appear together in 2 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Robert reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Espen 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
Espen and Robert changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #430 and #363.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Espen and Robert averaged 53.2 places apart, ending at #430 and #363.
- Longest-running competitions
Espen and Robert were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #430 and #363.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Espen held the stronger position in 61 of those years, Robert in 20.
Highest recorded here: Espen #8 in 1982, Robert #25 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Espen #430, Robert #363.
England and Wales · Boys16 shared years, 2002–2024
Espen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Robert in 16.
Highest recorded here: Espen #2693 in 2018, Robert #50 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Espen #5119, Robert #151.
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 | Robert |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Germanic Hrodebert, combining 'hruod' (fame) with 'beraht' (bright) — 'bright fame'. Introduced to Britain by the Normans, later borne by Robert the Bruce. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɹɑb.əɹt/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #104 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Robert has a recorded origin (Germanic); Espen does not have one recorded yet.
- Espen and Robert both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Robert; Espen doesn't have one written yet.
- 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
Robert
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #126 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2003
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2003).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #363 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys