Ketil vs Theodor

Ketil and Theodorcompared 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 1997, Ketil was ranked #572 and Theodor #161 among boys in Norway.

Ketil and Theodor over time

Ketil and Theodor appear together in 1 published list, across 14 years of shared records. Ketil held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Theodor 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.

Ketil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Theodor 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.

List by list

Norway · Boys14 shared years, 1948–1997
Ketil held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Theodor in 5.
Highest recorded here: Ketil #160 in 1978, Theodor #161 in 1997.
The order changed in 1992: Theodor moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #335 and #342; by 1992 that had become #463 and #301.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Ketil #572, Theodor #161.

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 Theodor

Pairs where Theodor shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Theodor vs Kristoffer
In Norway · Boys, Theodor moved into the top 50 at #33 in 2010 as Kristoffer fell out of it to #55, having been #34 the year before.
Theodor · Kristoffer · 44 shared years, 1948–2025 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2010 Norway ranking
Theodor vs Mats
In Norway · Boys, Theodor moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2006 as Mats fell out of it to #59, having been #40 the year before.
Theodor · Mats · 43 shared years, 1978–2025 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2006 Norway ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Ketil, Theodor
Field	Ketil	Theodor
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Editorially researched profile
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	The German form of Theodore, and a Scandinavian, Czech and Romanian variant of Teodor — from Greek 'theos' (god) and 'doron' (gift), 'gift of God'.
Origin	Not yet recorded	Greek roots, transmitted through German and Scandinavian naming traditions as a Teodor variant
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	/ˈteː.o.doːɐ̯/
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	NO	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO
Most recent popularity observation	Norway · Boys #572 (1997)	Norway · Boys #11 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	82/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	40/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Theodor has a recorded origin (Greek roots, transmitted through German and Scandinavian naming traditions as a Teodor variant); Ketil does not have one recorded yet.
Ketil and Theodor both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Theodor; Ketil doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in NO.

How each name got here

Ketil

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #274 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1997
Highest recorded position: #78 among boys in Norway, in 1966 (recorded 1945–1997).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1997
Most recently recorded at #572 among boys in Norway, in 1997.
Norway · Boys

Theodor

Popularity journey

First recorded1948
First recorded at #363 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1948–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1948–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys