Leif vs Rolf
Leif and Rolfcompared 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 Rolf #437 among boys in Norway.
Leif and Rolf over time
Leif and Rolf appear together in 1 published list, across 81 years of shared records. Leif held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Rolf 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.
Leif reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rolf 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Leif and Rolf changed places 17 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #225 and #437.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Leif and Rolf averaged 39.8 places apart, ending at #225 and #437.
- Longest-running competitions
Leif and Rolf were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #225 and #437.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1945 they stood at #17 and #15 in Norway · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2025 they were #225 and #437.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Leif held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Rolf in 31.
Highest recorded here: Leif #17 in 1945, Rolf #14 in 1950.
The order changed in 2012: Leif moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #332 and #306; by 2012 that had become #364 and #456.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leif #225, Rolf #437.
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 | Rolf |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Leiv | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Sweden #88 (2025) | Norway · Boys #437 (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); Rolf does not have one recorded yet.
- Leif and Rolf both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Leif; Rolf doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Leif a "high" Data Confidence level and Rolf 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
Rolf
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #15 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: #14 among boys in Norway, in 1950 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #437 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys