Gunnar vs Willoughby
Gunnar and Willoughbycompared 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, Gunnar was ranked #2443 and Willoughby #2921 among boys in England and Wales.
Gunnar and Willoughby over time
Gunnar and Willoughby appear together in 1 published list, across 14 years of shared records. Willoughby held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Gunnar 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.
Willoughby 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 Willoughby changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 2009 and 2024, ending at #2443 and #2921.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 2009–2024
Gunnar held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Willoughby in 8.
Highest recorded here: Gunnar #1786 in 2018, Willoughby #1302 in 2009.
The order changed in 2023: Gunnar moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #1879 and #1879; by 2023 that had become #1906 and #2325.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Gunnar #2443, Willoughby #2921.
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 | Willoughby |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #250 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2921 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 49/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Gunnar has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Willoughby.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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
Willoughby
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #2337 among boys in England and Wales in 1997 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1124 among boys in England and Wales, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls