Sean vs Stein
Sean and Steincompared 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 2015, Sean was ranked #327 and Stein #503 among boys in Norway.
Sean and Stein over time
Sean and Stein appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Stein held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Sean 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.
Stein reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Sean 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
Sean and Stein were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 42 years, from 1965 to 2015, ending at #327 and #503.
List by list
Norway · Boys42 shared years, 1965–2015
Sean held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Stein in 26.
Highest recorded here: Sean #185 in 2007, Stein #28 in 1965.
The order changed in 2001: Sean moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #272 and #264; by 2001 that had become #248 and #476.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Sean #327, Stein #503.
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 | Sean | Stein |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | The Irish form of John, ultimately carrying the meaning 'Yahweh is gracious' via its Hebrew ancestry. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish, Anglicised form of Sean, via Hebrew John | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ʃɔːn/ | Not yet recorded |
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #141 (2025) | Norway · Boys #503 (2015) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sean has a recorded origin (Irish, Anglicised form of Sean, via Hebrew John); Stein does not have one recorded yet.
- Sean and Stein both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Sean; Stein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Sean
Popularity journey
First recorded1963
First recorded at #82 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1963 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #141 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Stein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #42 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2015
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in Norway, in 1954 (recorded 1945–2015).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #503 among boys in Norway, in 2015.
Norway · Boys