Karl vs Niklas
Karl and Niklascompared 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, Karl was ranked #179 and Niklas #215 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Karl was ranked #2088 and Niklas #4270 among boys in England and Wales.
Karl and Niklas over time
Karl and Niklas appear together in 2 published lists, across 78 years of shared records. Karl held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Niklas in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Karl reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Niklas 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
Karl and Niklas changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1969 and 2025, ending at #179 and #215.
- Longest-running competitions
Karl and Niklas were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 57 years, from 1969 to 2025, ending at #179 and #215.
List by list
Norway · Boys57 shared years, 1969–2025
Karl held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Niklas in 17.
Highest recorded here: Karl #65 in 1980, Niklas #86 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Karl #179, Niklas #215.
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1997–2024
Karl held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Niklas in 0.
Highest recorded here: Karl #121 in 1997, Niklas #1401 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Karl #2088, Niklas #4270.
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 | Karl | Niklas |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #179 (2025) | Norway · Boys #215 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Karl has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Niklas.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Karl
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #35 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1962–1994
Highest recorded position: #33 among boys in New Zealand, in 1973 (recorded 1962–1994).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #179 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Niklas
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #578 among boys in Norway in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1969–2025
Highest recorded position: #86 among boys in Norway, in 1998 (recorded 1969–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #215 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys