Paul vs Torstein
Paul and Torsteincompared 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 Torstein #467 among boys in Norway.
Paul and Torstein over time
Paul and Torstein appear together in 1 published list, across 80 years of shared records. Paul held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Torstein in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Paul reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Torstein 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
Paul and Torstein changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2024, ending at #370 and #467.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 80 shared years in Norway · Boys, Paul and Torstein averaged 41.1 places apart, ending at #370 and #467.
- Longest-running competitions
Paul and Torstein were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 80 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #370 and #467.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Paul #67 in 1946, Torstein #79 in 1948.
List by list
Norway · Boys80 shared years, 1945–2024
Paul held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Torstein in 30.
Highest recorded here: Paul #67 in 1946, Torstein #79 in 1948.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Paul #370, Torstein #467.
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 | Torstein |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | Republic of Ireland · Boys #286 (2025) | Norway · Boys #255 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Paul has a recorded origin (Latin); Torstein does not have one recorded yet.
- Paul has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Torstein.
- A meaning is recorded for Paul; Torstein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Torstein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #103 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: #79 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #255 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys