Thorstein vs Wilhelm
Thorstein and Wilhelmcompared 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, Thorstein was ranked #561 and Wilhelm #177 among boys in Norway.
Thorstein and Wilhelm over time
Thorstein and Wilhelm appear together in 1 published list, across 47 years of shared records. Wilhelm 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 Wilhelm 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
Thorstein and Wilhelm changed places 17 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2013, ending at #561 and #177.
- Longest-running competitions
Thorstein and Wilhelm were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 47 years, from 1945 to 2013, ending at #561 and #177.
List by list
Norway · Boys47 shared years, 1945–2013
Thorstein held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Wilhelm in 28.
Highest recorded here: Thorstein #235 in 1945, Wilhelm #177 in 2013.
The order changed in 1990: Wilhelm moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #483 and #516; by 1990 that had become #547 and #404.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Thorstein #561, Wilhelm #177.
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 | Thorstein | Wilhelm |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #561 (2013) | Norway · Boys #121 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Thorstein and Wilhelm both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
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
Wilhelm
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #237 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: #121 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #121 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys