Leif vs Ole
Leif and Olecompared 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, Leif was ranked #225 and Ole #52 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2022, Leif was ranked #967 and Ole #4789 among boys in England and Wales.
Leif and Ole over time
Leif and Ole appear together in 2 published lists, across 103 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Leif and Ole changed places 9 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1999 and 2022, ending at #967 and #4789.
- Longest-running competitions
Leif and Ole were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #225 and #52.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Leif held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ole in 81.
Highest recorded here: Leif #17 in 1945, Ole #6 in 1979.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leif #225, Ole #52.
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 1999–2022
Leif held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Ole in 8.
Highest recorded here: Leif #967 in 2022, Ole #1156 in 2008.
The order changed in 2021: Leif moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #2104 and #1745; by 2021 that had become #1782 and #3017.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Leif #967, Ole #4789.
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 | Leif | Ole |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'heir' or 'descendant'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Old Norse | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /leɪf/ (also /liːf/) | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Leiv | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Sweden #88 (2025) | Norway · Boys #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Leif has a recorded origin (Old Norse); Ole does not have one recorded yet.
- Leif has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Ole.
- A meaning is recorded for Leif; Ole doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
- The available evidence gives Leif a "high" Data Confidence level and Ole a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Ole
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #16 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: #6 among boys in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys