Harry vs Ståle
Harry and Stålecompared 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 1997, Harry was ranked #410 and Ståle #282 among boys in Norway.
Harry and Ståle over time
Harry and Ståle appear together in 1 published list, across 44 years of shared records. Ståle held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Harry 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.
Harry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ståle 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 1957, Ståle moved ahead of Harry in Norway · Boys — #104 and #113 the year before became #112 and #90.
- Longest-running competitions
Harry and Ståle were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 44 years, from 1945 to 1997, ending at #410 and #282.
List by list
Norway · Boys44 shared years, 1945–1997
Harry held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Ståle in 33.
Highest recorded here: Harry #69 in 1946, Ståle #55 in 1968.
The order changed in 1957: Ståle moved ahead. In 1956 they stood at #104 and #113; by 1957 that had become #112 and #90.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Harry #410, Ståle #282.
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 | Harry | Ståle |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) | Norway · Boys #558 (2013) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Harry has a recorded origin (English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry); Ståle does not have one recorded yet.
- Harry has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ståle.
- A meaning is recorded for Harry; Ståle doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Ståle
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #151 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2013
Highest recorded position: #55 among boys in Norway, in 1968 (recorded 1945–2013).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2013
Most recently recorded at #558 among boys in Norway, in 2013.
Norway · Boys