Hans vs Jan
Hans and Jancompared 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 2025, Hans was ranked #97 and Jan #149 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1975, Hans was ranked #321 and Jan #236 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Hans was ranked #3254 and Jan #514 among boys in England and Wales.
Hans and Jan over time
Hans and Jan appear together in 2 published lists, across 110 years of shared records. Jan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Hans 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2021, Hans moved ahead of Jan in Norway · Boys — #134 and #118 the year before became #104 and #129.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Hans and Jan changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #97 and #149.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Hans and Jan averaged 17.3 places apart, ending at #97 and #149.
- Longest-running competitions
Hans and Jan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #97 and #149.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Hans held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Jan in 56.
Highest recorded here: Hans #10 in 1949, Jan #1 in 1946.
The order changed in 2021: Hans moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #134 and #118; by 2021 that had become #104 and #129.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hans #97, Jan #149.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Hans held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jan in 29.
Highest recorded here: Hans #1377 in 2005, Jan #226 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Hans #3254, Jan #514.
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 | Hans | Jan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A form of Johannes used across many European languages, from Hebrew Yochanan via Greek Ioannes — 'Yahweh is gracious'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɑːn/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #97 (2025) | Norway · Boys #149 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jan has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission); Hans does not have one recorded yet.
- Hans and Jan both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Jan; Hans doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Hans
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #11 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 1949 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #97 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Jan
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #2 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: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #149 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys