Nils vs Peter
Nils and Petercompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1992, Nils was ranked #337 and Peter #33 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Nils was ranked #61 and Peter #174 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Nils was ranked #4270 and Peter #286 among boys in England and Wales.
Nils and Peter over time
Nils and Peter appear together in 2 published lists, across 105 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Nils and Peter changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #61 and #174.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Boys, Nils and Peter averaged 49.9 places apart, ending at #61 and #174.
- Longest-running competitions
Nils and Peter were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #61 and #174.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Nils held the stronger position in 63 of those years, Peter in 18.
Highest recorded here: Nils #21 in 1947, Peter #72 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Nils #61, Peter #174.
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1996–2024
Nils held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Peter in 24.
Highest recorded here: Nils #1746 in 2001, Peter #59 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Nils #4270, Peter #286.
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 | Nils | Peter |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Greek Petros ('stone'), a translation of the Aramaic Cephas, the name Jesus gave to the apostle Simon. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek/Aramaic, biblical |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpit.əɹ/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #152 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Peter has a recorded origin (Greek/Aramaic, biblical); Nils does not have one recorded yet.
- Nils has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Peter.
- A meaning is recorded for Peter; Nils doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 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: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Peter
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #106 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2006
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1954 (recorded 1952–2006).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #174 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys