Niels vs Roman
Niels and Romancompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2016, Niels was ranked #4023 and Roman #92 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Niels was ranked #471 and Roman #438 among boys in Norway.
Niels and Roman over time
Niels and Roman appear together in 2 published lists, across 57 years of shared records. Roman held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Niels 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.
Niels reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Roman 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
Niels and Roman changed places 13 times in Norway · Boys between 1952 and 2025, ending at #471 and #438.
- Longest-running competitions
Niels and Roman were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 48 years, from 1952 to 2025, ending at #471 and #438.
List by list
Norway · Boys48 shared years, 1952–2025
Niels held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Roman in 32.
Highest recorded here: Niels #201 in 1959, Roman #196 in 1965.
The order changed in 2025: Roman moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #430 and #497; by 2025 that had become #471 and #438.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Niels #471, Roman #438.
England and Wales · Boys9 shared years, 1998–2016
Niels held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Roman in 9.
Highest recorded here: Niels #1642 in 1998, Roman #92 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Niels #4023, Roman #92.
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 Roman
Pairs where Roman shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Adam vs Roman
Adam and Roman averaged 17.5 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 205 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Adam · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
- Jordan vs Roman
Jordan and Roman averaged 18.8 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 220 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Jordan · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
- Hugo vs Roman
In England and Wales · Boys, Roman moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2020 as Hugo fell out of it to #51, having been #48 the year before.
Hugo · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
Side by side
| Field | Niels | Roman |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈro.man/ |
| 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 #471 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #50 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Roman has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages); Niels does not have one recorded yet.
- Niels has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Roman.
- A meaning is recorded for Roman; Niels doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Niels
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #233 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: #201 among boys in Norway, in 1959 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #471 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Roman
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #333 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys