Harry vs Rainer

Harry and Rainercompared 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 2022, Harry was ranked #15 and Rainer #4789 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 1991, Harry was ranked #575 and Rainer #541 among boys in Norway.

Harry and Rainer over time

Harry and Rainer appear together in 2 published lists, across 30 years of shared records. Harry held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Rainer 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.

List by list

Norway · Boys22 shared years, 1952–1991
Harry held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Rainer in 3.
Highest recorded here: Harry #89 in 1952, Rainer #332 in 1960.
The order changed in 1978: Rainer moved ahead. In 1977 they stood at #484 and #619; by 1978 that had become #446 and #370.
Most recent shared year, 1991: Harry #575, Rainer #541.
England and Wales · Boys8 shared years, 1997–2022
Harry held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Rainer in 0.
Highest recorded here: Harry #1 in 2012, Rainer #2859 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Harry #15, Rainer #4789.

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.

Harry vs Colin
In 1997 they stood at #87 and #96 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 9 places apart; by 2021 they were #10 and #433.
Harry · Colin · 21 shared years, 1997–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2021 Northern Ireland ranking
Harry vs Johannes
In 1945 they stood at #70 and #75 in Norway · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2019 they were #431 and #13.
Harry · Johannes · 46 shared years, 1945–2019 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2019 Norway ranking
Harry vs Barry
In 1997 they stood at #87 and #90 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2022 they were #8 and #414.
Harry · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking
Harry vs Kristian
In 1945 they stood at #70 and #79 in Norway · Boys, 9 places apart; by 2019 they were #431 and #75.
Harry · Kristian · 46 shared years, 1945–2019 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2019 Norway ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Harry, Rainer
Field	Harry	Rainer
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	A 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
Origin	English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˈhæri/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, NO
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #4789 (2022)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	88/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Harry has a recorded origin (English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry); Rainer does not have one recorded yet.
Harry and Rainer both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Harry; Rainer doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.

How each name got here

Harry

Popularity journey

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
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Rainer

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #392 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1992
Highest recorded position: #332 among boys in Norway, in 1960 (recorded 1952–1992).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #4789 among boys in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Boys