Kaj vs Kay
Kaj and Kaycompared 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 1994, Kaj was ranked #586 and Kay #448 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2019, Kaj was ranked #4702 and Kay #4702 among boys in England and Wales.
Kaj and Kay over time
Kaj and Kay appear together in 1 published list, across 40 years of shared records. Kay held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kaj in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Kaj reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Kay 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
Kaj and Kay changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1994, ending at #586 and #448.
- Longest-running competitions
Kaj and Kay were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 40 years, from 1945 to 1994, ending at #586 and #448.
List by list
Norway · Boys40 shared years, 1945–1994
Kaj held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Kay in 35.
Highest recorded here: Kaj #216 in 1959, Kay #147 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1994: Kaj #586, Kay #448.
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 | Kaj | Kay |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #770 (2023) | England and Wales · Girls #3970 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kaj and Kay both have 1 syllable.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Kaj
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #320 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1994
Highest recorded position: #216 among boys in Norway, in 1959 (recorded 1945–1994).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #4789 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Boys
Kay
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #286 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1963
Highest recorded position: #39 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1963).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #3970 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls