Namewise

Harry vs Per

Harry and Percompared 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 2019, Harry was ranked #431 and Per #162 among boys in Norway.

Harry and Per over time

Harry and Per appear together in 1 published list, across 46 years of shared records. Per held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Harry in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Per reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Harry 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.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Harry and Per were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 46 years, from 1945 to 2019, ending at #431 and #162.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Harry #69 in 1946, Per #1 in 1945.

List by list

  • Norway · Boys46 shared years, 1945–2019

    Harry held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Per in 46.

    Highest recorded here: Harry #69 in 1946, Per #1 in 1945.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2019: Harry #431, Per #162.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Harry

Pairs where Harry shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Per

Pairs where Per shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — peaked in the same years.

All peaked in the same years→

Other pairs from Norway lists

Pairs measured inside Norway's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

Norway overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 2010s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2010 and 2019.

The 2010s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Harry, Per
FieldHarryPer
Record typeEditorially researched profileOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningA diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation.Not yet recorded
OriginEnglish, medieval form/diminutive of HenryNot yet recorded
Pronunciation/ˈhæri/
Syllables21
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZNO
Most recent popularity observationEngland and Wales · Boys #19 (2025)Norway · Boys #142 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/100Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)94/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10040/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Harry has a recorded origin (English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry); Per does not have one recorded yet.
  • Harry has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Per.
  • A meaning is recorded for Harry; Per doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in NO.

How each name got here

Harry

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #70 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1996–2025

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2025).

    England and Wales · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Per

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #1 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #142 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys