Josef vs Mahamed
Josef and Mahamedcompared 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 2018, Josef was ranked #202 and Mahamed #479 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Josef was ranked #1798 and Mahamed #2440 among boys in England and Wales.
Josef and Mahamed over time
Josef and Mahamed appear together in 2 published lists, across 69 years of shared records. Josef held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Mahamed 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
Josef and Mahamed changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1962 and 2018, ending at #202 and #479.
- Longest-running competitions
Josef and Mahamed were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 40 years, from 1962 to 2018, ending at #202 and #479.
List by list
Norway · Boys40 shared years, 1962–2018
Josef held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Mahamed in 11.
Highest recorded here: Josef #202 in 2018, Mahamed #327 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Josef #202, Mahamed #479.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2025
Josef held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Mahamed in 0.
Highest recorded here: Josef #283 in 1999, Mahamed #912 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Josef #1798, Mahamed #2440.
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 | Josef | Mahamed |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #236 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2440 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Josef has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Mahamed.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Josef
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #274 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #189 among boys in Norway, in 2021 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1798 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Mahamed
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #358 among boys in Norway in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1960–2018
Highest recorded position: #327 among boys in Norway, in 2007 (recorded 1960–2018).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys