Nathaniel vs Selmer
Nathaniel and Selmercompared 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, Nathaniel was ranked #170 and Selmer #172 among boys in Norway.
Nathaniel and Selmer over time
Nathaniel and Selmer appear together in 1 published list, across 22 years of shared records. Nathaniel held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Selmer in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Nathaniel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Selmer 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 · Boys22 shared years, 2002–2025
Nathaniel held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Selmer in 1.
Highest recorded here: Nathaniel #109 in 2012, Selmer #172 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Nathaniel #170, Selmer #172.
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 | Nathaniel | Selmer |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 | 2 |
| 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 | Norway · Boys #170 (2025) | Norway · Boys #172 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Nathaniel has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Selmer.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Nathaniel
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #326 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2003–2014
Highest recorded position: #79 among boys in New Zealand, in 2012 (recorded 2003–2014).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #170 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Selmer
Popularity journey
First recorded2002
First recorded at #549 among boys in Norway in 2002 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2002–2025
Highest recorded position: #172 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 2002–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #172 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys