Mats vs Simon
Mats and Simoncompared 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, Mats was ranked #228 and Simon #159 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Mats was ranked #4608 and Simon #418 among boys in England and Wales.
Mats and Simon over time
Mats and Simon appear together in 1 published list, across 73 years of shared records. Mats held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Simon 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.
Mats reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Simon 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 2019, Simon moved ahead of Mats in Norway · Boys — #111 and #114 the year before became #150 and #100.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mats and Simon changed places 23 times in Norway · Boys between 1949 and 2025, ending at #228 and #159.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 73 shared years in Norway · Boys, Mats and Simon averaged 33.7 places apart, ending at #228 and #159.
- Longest-running competitions
Mats and Simon were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 73 years, from 1949 to 2025, ending at #228 and #159.
List by list
Norway · Boys73 shared years, 1949–2025
Mats held the stronger position in 49 of those years, Simon in 24.
Highest recorded here: Mats #21 in 1989, Simon #35 in 1992.
The order changed in 2019: Simon moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #111 and #114; by 2019 that had become #150 and #100.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mats #228, Simon #159.
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 | Mats | Simon |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #228 (2025) | Norway · Boys #159 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mats has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Simon.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
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
Simon
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #266 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1997
Highest recorded position: #12 among boys in New Zealand, in 1976 (recorded 1954–1997).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #159 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys