Joshua vs Oddvar
Joshua and Oddvarcompared 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 2022, Joshua was ranked #367 and Oddvar #489 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Oddvar over time
Joshua and Oddvar appear together in 1 published list, across 37 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Oddvar 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.
Oddvar reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Joshua 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
Joshua and Oddvar were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 37 years, from 1973 to 2022, ending at #367 and #489.
List by list
Norway · Boys37 shared years, 1973–2022
Joshua held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Oddvar in 10.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #256 in 1999, Oddvar #185 in 1973.
The order changed in 1994: Joshua moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #464 and #432; by 1994 that had become #369 and #602.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Joshua #367, Oddvar #489.
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 | Joshua | Oddvar |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From Hebrew Yehoshua, combining 'yeho' (referring to God) with 'yasha' ('to save') — 'Yahweh is salvation'. Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites in the Old Testament. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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 #81 (2025) | Norway · Boys #489 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joshua has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Oddvar does not have one recorded yet.
- Joshua and Oddvar both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Joshua; Oddvar doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Joshua
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #77 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1993 (recorded 1971–2024).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #405 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Oddvar
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #41 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2022
Highest recorded position: #38 among boys in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1945–2022).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #489 among boys in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Boys