Flemming vs Tobias
Flemming and Tobiascompared 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 2021, Flemming was ranked #429 and Tobias #10 among boys in Norway.
Flemming and Tobias over time
Flemming and Tobias appear together in 1 published list, across 17 years of shared records. Tobias held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Flemming 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.
Flemming reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Tobias 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.
List by list
Norway · Boys17 shared years, 1967–2021
Flemming held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Tobias in 13.
Highest recorded here: Flemming #338 in 1967, Tobias #10 in 2000.
The order changed in 1978: Tobias moved ahead. In 1977 they stood at #373 and #409; by 1978 that had become #558 and #262.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Flemming #429, Tobias #10.
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 | Flemming | Tobias |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally understood to mean 'God is good' or 'the Lord is good', from a Hebrew phrase. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via Greek; used in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /tʊ.ˈbiː.as/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #429 (2021) | Norway · Boys #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Tobias has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Greek; used in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition); Flemming does not have one recorded yet.
- Flemming and Tobias both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Tobias; Flemming doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Flemming
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #285 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1947–2021
Highest recorded position: #215 among boys in Norway, in 1968 (recorded 1947–2021).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #429 among boys in Norway, in 2021.
Norway · Boys
Tobias
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1967–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys