Ken vs Kim
Ken and Kimcompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1984, Ken was ranked #274 and Kim #318 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2016, Ken was ranked #528 and Kim #353 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2015, Ken was ranked #1786 and Kim #4747 among boys in England and Wales.
Ken and Kim over time
Ken and Kim appear together in 2 published lists, across 73 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
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
Ken and Kim changed places 11 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2015, ending at #1786 and #4747.
- Longest-running competitions
Ken and Kim were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 56 years, from 1955 to 2016, ending at #528 and #353.
List by list
Norway · Boys56 shared years, 1955–2016
Ken held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Kim in 49.
Highest recorded here: Ken #126 in 1971, Kim #10 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Ken #528, Kim #353.
England and Wales · Boys17 shared years, 1996–2015
Ken held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Kim in 7.
Highest recorded here: Ken #1199 in 1999, Kim #1168 in 1996.
The order changed in 2015: Ken moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #4685 and #3822; by 2015 that had become #1786 and #4747.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Ken #1786, Kim #4747.
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 | Ken | Kim |
|---|---|---|
| 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, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #3523 (2023) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) |
| 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
- Ken and Kim both have 1 syllable.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Ken
Popularity journey
First recorded1955
First recorded at #336 among boys in Norway in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1955–2016
Highest recorded position: #126 among boys in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1955–2016).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #3523 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys
Kim
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #344 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1958–1985
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in New Zealand, in 1968 (recorded 1958–1985).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4192 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls