John vs Stein
John and Steincompared 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 2015, John was ranked #131 and Stein #503 among boys in Norway.
John and Stein over time
John and Stein appear together in 1 published list, across 71 years of shared records. John held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Stein in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Stein reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and John 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
John and Stein changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2015, ending at #131 and #503.
- Longest-running competitions
John and Stein were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 71 years, from 1945 to 2015, ending at #131 and #503.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — John #12 in 1955, Stein #14 in 1954.
List by list
Norway · Boys71 shared years, 1945–2015
John held the stronger position in 69 of those years, Stein in 2.
Highest recorded here: John #12 in 1955, Stein #14 in 1954.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: John #131, Stein #503.
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 | John | Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɔn/ | 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #29 (2025) | Norway · Boys #503 (2015) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- John has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Stein does not have one recorded yet.
- John and Stein both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for John; Stein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
John
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #20 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2019).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #161 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Stein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #42 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2015
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in Norway, in 1954 (recorded 1945–2015).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #503 among boys in Norway, in 2015.
Norway · Boys