Jan vs Tor
Jan and Torcompared 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 Tor #203 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2022, Jan was ranked #439 and Tor #3449 among boys in England and Wales.
Jan and Tor over time
Jan and Tor appear together in 2 published lists, across 108 years of shared records. Jan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Tor in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jan and Tor changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #149 and #203.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jan and Tor averaged 20.9 places apart, ending at #149 and #203.
- Longest-running competitions
Jan and Tor were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #149 and #203.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Jan #1 in 1946, Tor #10 in 1948.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Jan held the stronger position in 79 of those years, Tor in 2.
Highest recorded here: Jan #1 in 1946, Tor #10 in 1948.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jan #149, Tor #203.
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1996–2022
Jan held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Tor in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jan #226 in 2017, Tor #1281 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Jan #439, Tor #3449.
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 | Tor |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| 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 #203 (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); Tor does not have one recorded yet.
- Jan and Tor both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Jan; Tor 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
Tor
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #14 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: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #203 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys