Noah vs Per
Noah and Percompared 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, Noah was ranked #1 and Per #142 among boys in Norway.
Noah and Per over time
Noah and Per appear together in 1 published list, across 33 years of shared records. Noah held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Per 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.
Per reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Noah 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2001, Noah moved ahead of Per in Norway · Boys — #177 and #107 the year before became #77 and #120.
- Longest-running competitions
Noah and Per were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 33 years, from 1990 to 2025, ending at #1 and #142.
List by list
Norway · Boys33 shared years, 1990–2025
Noah held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Per in 8.
Highest recorded here: Noah #1 in 2021, Per #46 in 1990.
The order changed in 2001: Noah moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #177 and #107; by 2001 that had become #77 and #120.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Noah #1, Per #142.
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 | Noah | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'rest' or 'comfort'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnoʊə/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Noa, Noé | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #1 (2025) | Norway · Boys #142 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Noah has a recorded origin (Hebrew); Per does not have one recorded yet.
- Noah and Per both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Noah; Per doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Noah a "high" Data Confidence level and Per a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Noah
Popularity journey
First recorded1990
First recorded at #640 among boys in Norway in 1990 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Per
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #1 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: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #142 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys