Harald vs Jan
Harald 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, Harald was ranked #109 and Jan #149 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Harald was ranked #3254 and Jan #514 among boys in England and Wales.
Harald and Jan over time
Harald and Jan appear together in 2 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Jan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Harald 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.
Harald reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Jan 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2025, Harald moved ahead of Jan in Norway · Boys — #119 and #111 the year before became #109 and #149.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Harald and Jan changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #109 and #149.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Harald and Jan averaged 51.5 places apart, ending at #109 and #149.
- Longest-running competitions
Harald and Jan were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #109 and #149.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Harald #8 in 1945, Jan #1 in 1946.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Harald held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jan in 78.
Highest recorded here: Harald #8 in 1945, Jan #1 in 1946.
The order changed in 2025: Harald moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #119 and #111; by 2025 that had become #109 and #149.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Harald #109, Jan #149.
England and Wales · Boys8 shared years, 1997–2024
Harald held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jan in 8.
Highest recorded here: Harald #2859 in 1997, Jan #251 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Harald #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 | Harald | 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 | 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 #109 (2025) | Norway · Boys #149 (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
- Jan has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission); Harald does not have one recorded yet.
- Harald has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Jan.
- A meaning is recorded for Jan; Harald doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Harald
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #8 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: #8 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #109 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