Lars vs Martin
Lars and Martincompared 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 2025, Lars was ranked #90 and Martin #69 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Lars was ranked #1859 and Martin #346 among boys in England and Wales.
Lars and Martin over time
Lars and Martin appear together in 2 published lists, across 110 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1987, Martin moved ahead of Lars in Norway · Boys — #3 and #8 the year before became #6 and #5.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Lars and Martin averaged 45.0 places apart, ending at #90 and #69.
- Longest-running competitions
Lars and Martin were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #90 and #69.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Lars #1110 in 1998, Martin #109 in 1996.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Lars held the stronger position in 42 of those years, Martin in 39.
Highest recorded here: Lars #2 in 1976, Martin #1 in 1992.
The order changed in 1987: Martin moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #3 and #8; by 1987 that had become #6 and #5.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lars #90, Martin #69.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Lars held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Martin in 29.
Highest recorded here: Lars #1110 in 1998, Martin #109 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Lars #1859, Martin #346.
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 | Lars | Martin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From the Roman name Martinus, connected to Mars, the Roman god of war. Widely known through Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop and patron saint of France. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin (Ancient Roman) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹ.tɪn/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #90 (2025) | Norway · Boys #69 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Martin has a recorded origin (Latin (Ancient Roman)); Lars does not have one recorded yet.
- Lars has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Martin.
- A meaning is recorded for Martin; Lars doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Lars
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #24 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: #2 among boys in Norway, in 1976 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Martin
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #83 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 1992 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #69 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys