Matthew vs Svend

Matthew and Svendcompared 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 2000, Matthew was ranked #427 and Svend #528 among boys in Norway.

Matthew and Svend over time

Matthew and Svend appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Matthew held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Svend 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.

Svend reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Matthew 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.

List by list

Norway · Boys29 shared years, 1966–2000
Matthew held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Svend in 8.
Highest recorded here: Matthew #267 in 1985, Svend #203 in 1966.
The order changed in 1980: Matthew moved ahead. In 1979 they stood at #505 and #443; by 1980 that had become #281 and #604.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Matthew #427, Svend #528.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Matthew

Pairs where Matthew shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Matthew vs Adrian
In 1964 they stood at #59 and #65 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 6 places apart; by 2025 they were #55 and #348.
Matthew · Adrian · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
Matthew vs Ashley
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Matthew #1 in 1990, Ashley #53 in 1989.
Matthew · Ashley · 11 shared years, 1984–1995 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1990 New Zealand ranking
Matthew vs Barry
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Matthew #1 in 1997, Barry #90 in 1997.
Matthew · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1997 Northern Ireland ranking
Matthew vs Ben
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Matthew #1 in 1982, Ben #41 in 1981.
Matthew · Ben · 26 shared years, 1976–2004 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1982 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Matthew, Svend
Field	Matthew	Svend
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	From Greek Matthaios, from Hebrew Mattithiah, combining 'mattat' (gift) with 'Yahweh' — 'gift of God'. Matthew was a tax collector and one of the twelve apostles, traditionally credited as author of the first Gospel.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Biblical Hebrew	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˈmæθ.juː/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	1
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	NO
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #55 (2025)	Norway · Boys #528 (2000)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	82/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	40/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Matthew has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Svend does not have one recorded yet.
Matthew has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Svend.
A meaning is recorded for Matthew; Svend doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in NO.

How each name got here

Matthew

Popularity journey

First recorded1957
First recorded at #78 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1957–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1982 (recorded 1957–2023).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #55 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Svend

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #169 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2000
Highest recorded position: #154 among boys in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2000).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2000
Most recently recorded at #528 among boys in Norway, in 2000.
Norway · Boys