Steffen vs Tobias
Steffen and Tobiascompared 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, Steffen was ranked #519 and Tobias #15 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2000, Steffen was ranked #2142 and Tobias #133 among boys in England and Wales.
Steffen and Tobias over time
Steffen and Tobias appear together in 1 published list, across 53 years of shared records. Tobias held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Steffen 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.
Steffen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Tobias 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 1994, Tobias moved ahead of Steffen in Norway · Boys — #60 and #63 the year before became #62 and #52.
- Mirrored each other
Over 53 shared years in Norway · Boys, Tobias rose about as far as Steffen fell — from #281 and #513 in 1967 to #519 and #15 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Steffen and Tobias were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 53 years, from 1967 to 2025, ending at #519 and #15.
List by list
Norway · Boys53 shared years, 1967–2025
Steffen held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Tobias in 29.
Highest recorded here: Steffen #24 in 1985, Tobias #1 in 2005.
The order changed in 1994: Tobias moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #60 and #63; by 1994 that had become #62 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Steffen #519, Tobias #15.
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 | Steffen | Tobias |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally understood to mean 'God is good' or 'the Lord is good', from a Hebrew phrase. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, via Greek; used in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | /tʊ.ˈbiː.as/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #519 (2025) | Norway · Boys #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Tobias has a recorded origin (Hebrew, via Greek; used in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition); Steffen does not have one recorded yet.
- Steffen and Tobias both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Tobias; Steffen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Steffen
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #341 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among boys in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #519 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Tobias
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1967–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys