Gunnar vs Paul
Gunnar and Paulcompared 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, Gunnar was ranked #398 and Paul #370 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Gunnar was ranked #2443 and Paul #586 among boys in England and Wales.
Gunnar and Paul over time
Gunnar and Paul appear together in 2 published lists, across 94 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.
Paul reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Gunnar 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
Gunnar and Paul changed places 19 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2024, ending at #398 and #370.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 80 shared years in Norway · Boys, Gunnar and Paul averaged 51.3 places apart, ending at #398 and #370.
- Longest-running competitions
Gunnar and Paul were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 80 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #398 and #370.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Gunnar #10 in 1946, Paul #67 in 1946.
List by list
Norway · Boys80 shared years, 1945–2024
Gunnar held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Paul in 30.
Highest recorded here: Gunnar #10 in 1946, Paul #67 in 1946.
The order changed in 2024: Paul moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #345 and #478; by 2024 that had become #398 and #370.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Gunnar #398, Paul #370.
England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 2009–2024
Gunnar held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Paul in 14.
Highest recorded here: Gunnar #1786 in 2018, Paul #213 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Gunnar #2443, Paul #586.
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 | Gunnar | Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From the Roman name Paulus, meaning 'small' in Latin. Saint Paul, originally named Saul, converted to Christianity and became a key missionary figure, authoring several New Testament epistles. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈpɔːl/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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 #250 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #286 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Paul has a recorded origin (Latin); Gunnar does not have one recorded yet.
- Gunnar has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Paul.
- A meaning is recorded for Paul; Gunnar doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Gunnar
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #13 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: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #250 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Paul
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #73 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1998
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1965 (recorded 1954–1998).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #286 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys