Finn vs Leif
Finn and Leifcompared 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, Finn was ranked #83 and Leif #814 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Finn was ranked #153 and Leif #225 among boys in Norway.
Finn and Leif over time
Finn and Leif appear together in 2 published lists, across 107 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.
Finn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Leif 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
Finn and Leif changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #153 and #225.
- Longest-running competitions
Finn and Leif were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #153 and #225.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Finn #31 in 1945, Leif #17 in 1945.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Finn held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Leif in 61.
Highest recorded here: Finn #31 in 1945, Leif #17 in 1945.
The order changed in 2008: Finn moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #345 and #311; by 2008 that had become #215 and #364.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Finn #153, Leif #225.
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1996–2024
Finn held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Leif in 0.
Highest recorded here: Finn #72 in 2021, Leif #814 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finn #83, Leif #814.
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 | Finn | Leif |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill; functions as the usual Anglicised spelling of the Irish name Fionn. | Commonly interpreted as 'heir' or 'descendant'. |
| Origin | Irish | Old Norse |
| Pronunciation | /fɪn/ | /leɪf/ (also /liːf/) |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Leiv |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #15 (2025) | Sweden #88 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Finn is recorded with a Irish origin, while Leif is recorded with a Old Norse origin.
- Finn and Leif both have 1 syllable.
- Finn's recorded meaning differs from Leif's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
- The available evidence gives Finn a "medium" Data Confidence level and Leif a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Finn
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #31 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2020 (recorded 1982–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Leif
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #17 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: #17 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #225 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys