Josef vs Pål
Josef and Pålcompared 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, Josef was ranked #236 and Pål #385 among boys in Norway.
Josef and Pål over time
Josef and Pål appear together in 1 published list, across 70 years of shared records. Pål held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Josef in 0.
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.
Pål reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Josef 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Josef and Pål were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 70 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #236 and #385.
List by list
Norway · Boys70 shared years, 1946–2025
Josef held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Pål in 51.
Highest recorded here: Josef #189 in 2021, Pål #23 in 1971.
The order changed in 2012: Josef moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #249 and #225; by 2012 that had become #255 and #521.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Josef #236, Pål #385.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Pål
Pairs where Pål shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Henry vs Pål
In 1945 they stood at #102 and #99 in Norway · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2025 they were #50 and #385.
Henry · Pål · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Aksel vs Pål
Aksel and Pål were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #25 and #385.
Aksel · Pål · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Anders vs Pål
Anders and Pål were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #385.
Anders · Pål · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Andreas vs Pål
Andreas and Pål were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #96 and #385.
Andreas · Pål · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Josef | Pål |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #236 (2025) | Norway · Boys #385 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Josef has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Pål.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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 #236 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Pål
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #99 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: #23 among boys in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #385 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys