Lars vs Nils
Lars and Nilscompared 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 Nils #61 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Lars was ranked #1859 and Nils #4270 among boys in England and Wales.
Lars and Nils over time
Lars and Nils appear together in 2 published lists, across 105 years of shared records. Lars held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Nils 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.
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 2021, Nils moved ahead of Lars in Norway · Boys — #83 and #92 the year before became #94 and #68.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Lars and Nils changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #1859 and #4270.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Lars and Nils averaged 50.5 places apart, ending at #90 and #61.
- Longest-running competitions
Lars and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #90 and #61.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Lars held the stronger position in 71 of those years, Nils in 10.
Highest recorded here: Lars #2 in 1976, Nils #21 in 1947.
The order changed in 2021: Nils moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #83 and #92; by 2021 that had become #94 and #68.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lars #90, Nils #61.
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1996–2024
Lars held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Nils in 2.
Highest recorded here: Lars #1110 in 1998, Nils #1746 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Lars #1859, Nils #4270.
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 | Nils |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | ||
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #90 (2025) | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lars and Nils both have 1 syllable.
- 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
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 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: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys