Joan vs Kari
Joan and Karicompared 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 · Girls
In 1993, Joan was ranked #644 and Kari #126 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1989, Joan was ranked #164 and Kari #503 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Joan was ranked #1743 and Kari #5891 among girls in England and Wales.
Joan and Kari over time
Joan and Kari appear together in 2 published lists, across 46 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Joan and Kari changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #1743 and #5891.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Joan #1287 in 1997, Kari #2165 in 1998.
List by list
Norway · Girls26 shared years, 1946–1993
Joan held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Kari in 26.
Highest recorded here: Joan #325 in 1954, Kari #3 in 1946.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1993: Joan #644, Kari #126.
England and Wales · Girls20 shared years, 1996–2024
Joan held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Kari in 2.
Highest recorded here: Joan #1287 in 1997, Kari #2165 in 1998.
The order changed in 2011: Joan moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #3533 and #3533; by 2011 that had become #1665 and #5785.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joan #1743, Kari #5891.
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 | Joan | Kari |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #898 (2024) | Norway · Girls #222 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joan has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Kari.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Joan
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #351 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2024
Highest recorded position: #31 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1743 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Kari
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #4 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #222 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls