Ketil vs Thomas
Ketil and Thomascompared 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 Thomas #5 among boys in Norway.
Ketil and Thomas over time
Ketil and Thomas appear together in 1 published list, across 51 years of shared records. Thomas held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ketil in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ketil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Thomas 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
Ketil and Thomas changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 1997, ending at #572 and #5.
- Mirrored each other
Over 51 shared years in Norway · Boys, Thomas rose about as far as Ketil fell — from #274 and #177 in 1945 to #572 and #5 in 1997.
- Longest-running competitions
Ketil and Thomas were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 51 years, from 1945 to 1997, ending at #572 and #5.
List by list
Norway · Boys51 shared years, 1945–1997
Ketil held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Thomas in 35.
Highest recorded here: Ketil #78 in 1966, Thomas #1 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Ketil #572, Thomas #5.
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 | Ketil | Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Greek form of the Aramaic name meaning 'twin'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Aramaic, via Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈtɑməs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #572 (1997) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #13 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Thomas has a recorded origin (Aramaic, via Greek); Ketil does not have one recorded yet.
- Ketil and Thomas both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Thomas; 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
Thomas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #177 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1974 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys