Leif vs Svein
Leif and Sveincompared 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 2023, Leif was ranked #217 and Svein #267 among boys in Norway.
Leif and Svein over time
Leif and Svein appear together in 1 published list, across 77 years of shared records. Svein held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Leif 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 Svein 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 Svein changed places 7 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2023, ending at #217 and #267.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 77 shared years in Norway · Boys, Leif and Svein averaged 46.5 places apart, ending at #217 and #267.
- Longest-running competitions
Leif and Svein were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 77 years, from 1945 to 2023, ending at #217 and #267.
List by list
Norway · Boys77 shared years, 1945–2023
Leif held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Svein in 59.
Highest recorded here: Leif #17 in 1945, Svein #4 in 1950.
The order changed in 2010: Leif moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #346 and #335; by 2010 that had become #273 and #435.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Leif #217, Svein #267.
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 | Svein |
|---|---|---|
| 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/) | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Leiv | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Sweden #88 (2025) | Norway · Boys #267 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Leif has a recorded origin (Old Norse); Svein does not have one recorded yet.
- Leif and Svein both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Leif; Svein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Leif a "high" Data Confidence level and Svein 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
Svein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #5 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2023
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in Norway, in 1950 (recorded 1945–2023).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #267 among boys in Norway, in 2023.
Norway · Boys