Jan vs Ole
Jan and Olecompared 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, Jan was ranked #149 and Ole #52 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2022, Jan was ranked #439 and Ole #4789 among boys in England and Wales.
Jan and Ole over time
Jan and Ole appear together in 2 published lists, across 105 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 1984, Ole moved ahead of Jan in Norway · Boys — #5 and #9 the year before became #13 and #11.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jan and Ole averaged 31.1 places apart, ending at #149 and #52.
- Longest-running competitions
Jan and Ole were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #149 and #52.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Jan held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Ole in 42.
Highest recorded here: Jan #1 in 1946, Ole #6 in 1979.
The order changed in 1984: Ole moved ahead. In 1983 they stood at #5 and #9; by 1984 that had become #13 and #11.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jan #149, Ole #52.
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1998–2022
Jan held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Ole in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jan #226 in 2017, Ole #1156 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Jan #439, Ole #4789.
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 | Ole |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of Johannes used across many European languages, from Hebrew Yochanan via Greek Ioannes — 'Yahweh is gracious'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɑːn/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #149 (2025) | Norway · Boys #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jan has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Dutch/Scandinavian/Central European transmission); Ole does not have one recorded yet.
- Jan has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Ole.
- A meaning is recorded for Jan; Ole doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Jan
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #2 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: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #149 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Ole
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #16 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: #6 among boys in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys