Mark vs Mats
Mark and Matscompared 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, Mark was ranked #286 and Mats #228 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Mark was ranked #241 and Mats #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
Mark and Mats over time
Mark and Mats appear together in 1 published list, across 72 years of shared records. Mats held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mark 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.
Mark reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Mats 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1971, Mats moved ahead of Mark in Norway · Boys — #211 and #225 the year before became #312 and #200.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mark and Mats changed places 11 times in Norway · Boys between 1950 and 2025, ending at #286 and #228.
- Longest-running competitions
Mark and Mats were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 72 years, from 1950 to 2025, ending at #286 and #228.
List by list
Norway · Boys72 shared years, 1950–2025
Mark held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Mats in 62.
Highest recorded here: Mark #211 in 1970, Mats #21 in 1989.
The order changed in 1971: Mats moved ahead. In 1970 they stood at #211 and #225; by 1971 that had become #312 and #200.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mark #286, Mats #228.
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 | Mark | Mats |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of the Latin name Marcus used in several languages. Saint Mark authored the second Gospel and is patron saint of Venice. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹk/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #99 (2025) | Norway · Boys #228 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mark has a recorded origin (Latin); Mats does not have one recorded yet.
- Mark and Mats both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Mark; Mats doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Mark
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #362 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2001
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1960 (recorded 1952–2001).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #286 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Mats
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #330 among boys in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1949–2025
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1989 (recorded 1949–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #228 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys