Kurt vs Leif
Kurt and Leifcompared 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 2009, Kurt was ranked #519 and Leif #346 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Kurt was ranked #2671 and Leif #814 among boys in England and Wales.
Kurt and Leif over time
Kurt and Leif appear together in 2 published lists, across 81 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Kurt and Leif were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 55 years, from 1945 to 2009, ending at #519 and #346.
List by list
Norway · Boys55 shared years, 1945–2009
Kurt held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Leif in 55.
Highest recorded here: Kurt #56 in 1960, Leif #17 in 1945.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2009: Kurt #519, Leif #346.
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1996–2024
Kurt held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Leif in 6.
Highest recorded here: Kurt #236 in 1996, Leif #814 in 2024.
The order changed in 2019: Leif moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #1382 and #1455; by 2019 that had become #3411 and #2104.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Kurt #2671, Leif #814.
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 | Kurt | Leif |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly interpreted as 'heir' or 'descendant'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Old Norse |
| Pronunciation | /leɪf/ (also /liːf/) | |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Leiv |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2671 (2024) | Sweden #88 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Leif has a recorded origin (Old Norse); Kurt does not have one recorded yet.
- Kurt and Leif both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Leif; Kurt doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
- The available evidence gives Kurt a "medium" Data Confidence level and Leif a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Kurt
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #134 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2009
Highest recorded position: #56 among boys in Norway, in 1960 (recorded 1945–2009).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2671 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Leif
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #17 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: #17 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #225 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys