Kjetil vs Samuel
Kjetil and Samuelcompared 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 2022, Kjetil was ranked #420 and Samuel #53 among boys in Norway.
Kjetil and Samuel over time
Kjetil and Samuel appear together in 1 published list, across 67 years of shared records. Kjetil held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Samuel 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.
Kjetil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Samuel 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1999, Samuel moved ahead of Kjetil in Norway · Boys — #130 and #144 the year before became #148 and #140.
- Mirrored each other
Over 67 shared years in Norway · Boys, Samuel rose about as far as Kjetil fell — from #202 and #339 in 1946 to #420 and #53 in 2022.
- Longest-running competitions
Kjetil and Samuel were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 67 years, from 1946 to 2022, ending at #420 and #53.
List by list
Norway · Boys67 shared years, 1946–2022
Kjetil held the stronger position in 46 of those years, Samuel in 21.
Highest recorded here: Kjetil #14 in 1971, Samuel #44 in 2019.
The order changed in 1999: Samuel moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #130 and #144; by 1999 that had become #148 and #140.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Kjetil #420, Samuel #53.
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 | Kjetil | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ | |
| 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 #420 (2022) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Kjetil does not have one recorded yet.
- Kjetil and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Kjetil doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Kjetil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #200 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2022
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1945–2022).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #420 among boys in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys