Jan-Erik vs Max
Jan-Erik and Maxcompared 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 1998, Jan-Erik was ranked #467 and Max #211 among boys in Norway.
Jan-Erik and Max over time
Jan-Erik and Max appear together in 1 published list, across 35 years of shared records. Jan-Erik held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Max 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.
Jan-Erik reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Max 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Jan-Erik and Max were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 35 years, from 1946 to 1998, ending at #467 and #211.
List by list
Norway · Boys35 shared years, 1946–1998
Jan-Erik held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Max in 10.
Highest recorded here: Jan-Erik #169 in 1965, Max #189 in 1997.
The order changed in 1989: Max moved ahead. In 1988 they stood at #375 and #431; by 1989 that had become #584 and #265.
Most recent shared year, 1998: Jan-Erik #467, Max #211.
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 | Jan-Erik | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of Maximilian or Maxim, ultimately from Latin 'maximus' (greatest). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmæks/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #467 (1998) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #30 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Max has a recorded origin (Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim); Jan-Erik does not have one recorded yet.
- Jan-Erik has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Max.
- A meaning is recorded for Max; Jan-Erik doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Jan-Erik
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #156 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1998
Highest recorded position: #133 among boys in Norway, in 1951 (recorded 1945–1998).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1998
Most recently recorded at #467 among boys in Norway, in 1998.
Norway · Boys
Max
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #359 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1992–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2016 (recorded 1992–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys