Isak vs Karsten
Isak and Karstencompared 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, Isak was ranked #6 and Karsten #191 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Isak was ranked #1517 and Karsten #5119 among boys in England and Wales.
Isak and Karsten over time
Isak and Karsten appear together in 1 published list, across 66 years of shared records. Isak held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Karsten 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.
Karsten reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Isak 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
Isak and Karsten changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 2025, ending at #6 and #191.
- Mirrored each other
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Boys, Isak rose about as far as Karsten fell — from #282 and #116 in 1946 to #6 and #191 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Isak and Karsten were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 66 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #6 and #191.
List by list
Norway · Boys66 shared years, 1946–2025
Isak held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Karsten in 28.
Highest recorded here: Isak #4 in 2021, Karsten #116 in 1946.
The order changed in 1990: Isak moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #356 and #315; by 1990 that had become #286 and #356.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isak #6, Karsten #191.
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 | Isak | Karsten |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #6 (2025) | Norway · Boys #191 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Isak and Karsten both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Isak
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #282 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in Norway, in 2021 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #6 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Karsten
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #129 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: #110 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #191 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys