Hans vs Olaf
Hans and Olafcompared 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 Olaf #288 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Hans was ranked #3254 and Olaf #2443 among boys in England and Wales.
Hans and Olaf over time
Hans and Olaf appear together in 2 published lists, across 100 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.
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.
- Longest-running competitions
Hans and Olaf were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 79 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #97 and #288.
List by list
Norway · Boys79 shared years, 1945–2025
Hans held the stronger position in 79 of those years, Olaf in 0.
Highest recorded here: Hans #10 in 1949, Olaf #85 in 1946.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hans #97, Olaf #288.
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 2004–2024
Hans held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Olaf in 18.
Highest recorded here: Hans #1377 in 2005, Olaf #506 in 2015.
The order changed in 2007: Olaf moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #1643 and #1892; by 2007 that had become #2435 and #883.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Hans #3254, Olaf #2443.
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 | Olaf |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #97 (2025) | Norway · Boys #288 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Hans has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Olaf.
- 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
Olaf
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #89 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: #85 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys