Geir vs James
Geir and Jamescompared 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 2024, Geir was ranked #482 and James #264 among boys in Norway.
Geir and James over time
Geir and James appear together in 1 published list, across 72 years of shared records. Geir held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, James 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.
Geir reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and James 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
Geir and James changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2024, ending at #482 and #264.
- Longest-running competitions
Geir and James were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 72 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #482 and #264.
List by list
Norway · Boys72 shared years, 1945–2024
Geir held the stronger position in 61 of those years, James in 11.
Highest recorded here: Geir #2 in 1963, James #218 in 1978.
The order changed in 2012: James moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #430 and #433; by 2012 that had become #504 and #311.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Geir #482, James #264.
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 | Geir | James |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #482 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- James has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus); Geir does not have one recorded yet.
- Geir has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for James.
- A meaning is recorded for James; Geir doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Geir a "medium" Data Confidence level and James a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Geir
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #59 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Norway, in 1963 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #482 among boys in Norway, in 2024.
Norway · Boys
James
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #344 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys