Jonas vs Mats
Jonas and Matscompared 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, Jonas was ranked #49 and Mats #228 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Jonas was ranked #529 and Mats #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
Jonas and Mats over time
Jonas and Mats appear together in 1 published list, across 72 years of shared records. Jonas held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mats in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Mats reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Jonas 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
Jonas and Mats changed places 18 times in Norway · Boys between 1953 and 2025, ending at #49 and #228.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 72 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jonas and Mats averaged 52.7 places apart, ending at #49 and #228.
- Longest-running competitions
Jonas and Mats were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 72 years, from 1953 to 2025, ending at #49 and #228.
List by list
Norway · Boys72 shared years, 1953–2025
Jonas held the stronger position in 58 of those years, Mats in 14.
Highest recorded here: Jonas #1 in 2006, Mats #21 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jonas #49, Mats #228.
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 | Jonas | Mats |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjuː.nas/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #49 (2025) | Norway · Boys #228 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jonas has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition); Mats does not have one recorded yet.
- Jonas has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Mats.
- A meaning is recorded for Jonas; Mats doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Jonas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #257 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 2006 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #49 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Mats
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #330 among boys in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1949–2025
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1989 (recorded 1949–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #228 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys