Holger vs Jack
Holger and Jackcompared 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 2024, Holger was ranked #485 and Jack #426 among boys in Norway.
Holger and Jack over time
Holger and Jack appear together in 1 published list, across 31 years of shared records. Jack held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Holger in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Holger reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Jack 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Holger and Jack changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2024, ending at #485 and #426.
- Longest-running competitions
Holger and Jack were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 31 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #485 and #426.
List by list
Norway · Boys31 shared years, 1945–2024
Holger held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jack in 28.
Highest recorded here: Holger #212 in 1949, Jack #151 in 1956.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Holger #485, Jack #426.
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 | Holger | Jack |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | God is gracious (via John), though now used as an independent name. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English, historically a diminutive of John |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈdʒæk/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Jankin |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #485 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #2 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Jack has a recorded origin (English, historically a diminutive of John); Holger does not have one recorded yet.
- Holger has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Jack.
- A meaning is recorded for Jack; Holger doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Holger a "medium" Data Confidence level and Jack a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Holger
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #284 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #212 among boys in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #485 among boys in Norway, in 2024.
Norway · Boys
Jack
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #171 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 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #10 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys