Gorm vs Samuel
Gorm and Samuelcompared 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 2006, Gorm was ranked #497 and Samuel #95 among boys in Norway.
Gorm and Samuel over time
Gorm and Samuel appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Gorm held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Samuel 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.
Gorm reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Samuel 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
Gorm and Samuel changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1954 and 2006, ending at #497 and #95.
List by list
Norway · Boys29 shared years, 1954–2006
Gorm held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Samuel in 14.
Highest recorded here: Gorm #289 in 1970, Samuel #95 in 2006.
The order changed in 1976: Samuel moved ahead. In 1975 they stood at #459 and #505; by 1976 that had become #598 and #260.
Most recent shared year, 2006: Gorm #497, Samuel #95.
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 | Gorm | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #497 (2006) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Gorm does not have one recorded yet.
- Gorm has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Samuel.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Gorm doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Gorm
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #411 among boys in Norway in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2006
Highest recorded position: #289 among boys in Norway, in 1970 (recorded 1954–2006).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2006
Most recently recorded at #497 among boys in Norway, in 2006.
Norway · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #66 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys