Nils vs Rafal
Nils and Rafalcompared 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, Nils was ranked #121 and Rafal #567 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2021, Nils was ranked #3990 and Rafal #2730 among boys in England and Wales.
Nils and Rafal over time
Nils and Rafal appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Nils reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rafal 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Nils and Rafal were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 30 years, from 1968 to 2000, ending at #121 and #567.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Nils #1859 in 2009, Rafal #1175 in 2009.
List by list
Norway · Boys30 shared years, 1968–2000
Nils held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Rafal in 0.
Highest recorded here: Nils #35 in 1968, Rafal #79 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Nils #121, Rafal #567.
England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 2005–2021
Nils held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Rafal in 11.
Highest recorded here: Nils #1859 in 2009, Rafal #1175 in 2009.
The order changed in 2016: Rafal moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #2319 and #2483; by 2016 that had become #4810 and #2804.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Nils #3990, Rafal #2730.
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 Nils
Pairs where Nils shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Nils vs Kåre
In 1945 they stood at #26 and #21 in Norway · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #61 and #358.
Nils · Kåre · 75 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Helge vs Nils
In 1945 they stood at #22 and #26 in Norway · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2025 they were #352 and #61.
Helge · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Aksel vs Nils
Aksel and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #25 and #61.
Aksel · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Anders vs Nils
Anders and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #61.
Anders · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Nils | Rafal |
|---|---|---|
| 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, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #4107 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Nils has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Rafal.
- 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
Rafal
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #514 among boys in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1968–2000
Highest recorded position: #79 among boys in Norway, in 1975 (recorded 1968–2000).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4107 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys