James vs Sten
James and Stencompared 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 2012, James was ranked #311 and Sten #523 among boys in Norway.
James and Sten over time
James and Sten appear together in 1 published list, across 57 years of shared records. Sten held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, James 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.
Sten reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and James 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
James and Sten changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2012, ending at #311 and #523.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Sten were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 57 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #311 and #523.
List by list
Norway · Boys57 shared years, 1945–2012
James held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Sten in 34.
Highest recorded here: James #218 in 1978, Sten #103 in 1970.
The order changed in 1985: James moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #269 and #257; by 1985 that had become #266 and #563.
Most recent shared year, 2012: James #311, Sten #523.
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 | James | Sten |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus | 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 #4 (2025) | Norway · Boys #523 (2012) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- James has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus); Sten does not have one recorded yet.
- James has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Sten.
- A meaning is recorded for James; Sten doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives James a "high" Data Confidence level and Sten a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
James
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #344 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Sten
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #158 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2012
Highest recorded position: #103 among boys in Norway, in 1970 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #523 among boys in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Boys