Paul vs Sven
Paul and Svencompared 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 2024, Paul was ranked #370 and Sven #412 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Paul was ranked #586 and Sven #4270 among boys in England and Wales.
Paul and Sven over time
Paul and Sven appear together in 2 published lists, across 98 years of shared records. Paul held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Sven 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.
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
Paul and Sven changed places 25 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2024, ending at #370 and #412.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 80 shared years in Norway · Boys, Paul and Sven averaged 56.0 places apart, ending at #370 and #412.
- Longest-running competitions
Paul and Sven were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 80 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #370 and #412.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Paul #72 in 1996, Sven #1263 in 1998.
List by list
Norway · Boys80 shared years, 1945–2024
Paul held the stronger position in 58 of those years, Sven in 22.
Highest recorded here: Paul #67 in 1946, Sven #69 in 1945.
The order changed in 2024: Paul moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #478 and #444; by 2024 that had become #370 and #412.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Paul #370, Sven #412.
England and Wales · Boys18 shared years, 1996–2024
Paul held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Sven in 0.
Highest recorded here: Paul #72 in 1996, Sven #1263 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Paul #586, Sven #4270.
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 | Paul | Sven |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Roman name Paulus, meaning 'small' in Latin. Saint Paul, originally named Saul, converted to Christianity and became a key missionary figure, authoring several New Testament epistles. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɔːl/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #286 (2025) | Norway · Boys #290 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Paul has a recorded origin (Latin); Sven does not have one recorded yet.
- Paul and Sven both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Paul; Sven doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Paul
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #73 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1998
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1965 (recorded 1954–1998).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #286 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Sven
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #69 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: #69 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #290 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys