Oscar vs Thorstein
Oscar and Thorsteincompared 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 2013, Oscar was ranked #35 and Thorstein #561 among boys in Norway.
Oscar and Thorstein over time
Oscar and Thorstein appear together in 1 published list, across 49 years of shared records. Oscar held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Thorstein 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.
Thorstein reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Oscar 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
Oscar and Thorstein changed places 13 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2013, ending at #35 and #561.
- Mirrored each other
Over 49 shared years in Norway · Boys, Oscar rose about as far as Thorstein fell — from #263 and #235 in 1945 to #35 and #561 in 2013.
- Longest-running competitions
Oscar and Thorstein were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 49 years, from 1945 to 2013, ending at #35 and #561.
List by list
Norway · Boys49 shared years, 1945–2013
Oscar held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Thorstein in 17.
Highest recorded here: Oscar #35 in 2013, Thorstein #235 in 1945.
The order changed in 1987: Oscar moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #398 and #361; by 1987 that had become #287 and #643.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Oscar #35, Thorstein #561.
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 | Oscar | Thorstein |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Possibly 'deer friend' (Irish), or possibly derived from an Old English/Old Norse name meaning 'god spear' — the origin is genuinely disputed. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Irish, possibly Old English/Old Norse | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑskər/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 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 | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #17 (2025) | Norway · Boys #561 (2013) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Oscar has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Irish, possibly Old English/Old Norse); Thorstein does not have one recorded yet.
- Oscar and Thorstein both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Oscar; Thorstein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Oscar
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #263 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in England and Wales, in 2013 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #17 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Thorstein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #235 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2013
Highest recorded position: #235 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2013).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2013
Most recently recorded at #561 among boys in Norway, in 2013.
Norway · Boys