Nils

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Nils: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Nils: Recorded every year since 1945, its highest recorded position is #21, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

3registrars recorded it
106times a registrar ranked it
81years from first to last
#21highest recorded position
22groupings it qualifies for
53names it appears alongside

What stands out in Nils's record

Ranked every year since 1945, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 48 years running. Names by top-100 run
Appears alongside 53 other names across 5 kinds of recorded relationship. All recorded relationships
Shares a published list with another name across 81 years. Longest shared records

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#2020
1997	#1761
1998	#1821
1999	#1850
2000	#2501
2001	#1746
2002	#1799
2004	#3009
2005	#2174
2006	#2538
2007	#2211
2008	#1953
2009	#1859
2010	#3332
2011	#2892
2012	#2721
2014	#2248
2015	#2319
2016	#4810
2017	#4812
2018	#3959
2019	#3411
2021	#3990
2024	#4270

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in every year from 1945 to 2025.

In 2024: #65 among boys in Norway, #4270 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 3 national registrars across 3 regions, 1945–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 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: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys

Nils appears in 2 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Boys, which has ranked it in 81 years beginning in 1945, and has registered 12,343 births with the name.

Nils across 2 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Nils's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Boys	#26 (1945)	#21 (1947)	#61 (2025)	81 of 81	12,343 (1945–2025)	390 (1947)
England and Wales · Boys	#2020 (1996)	#1746 (2001)	#4270 (2024)	24 of 29	146 (1996–2024)	11 (2009)

Nils by decade in Norway · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Nils in Norway · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1940sbusiest	1,683	5 of 10	337
1950s	2,909	10 of 10	291
1960s	2,570	10 of 10	257
1970s	1,735	10 of 10	174
1980s	1,049	10 of 10	105
1990s	686	10 of 10	69
2000s	492	10 of 10	49
2010s	649	10 of 10	65
2020s	570	6 of 10	95

Across Norway · Boys, the 1940s were its busiest decade — the 5 years of it this list covers, averaging 337 births a year.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

Nils appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #21 in Norway in 1950.

Nils's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#4270	4	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#3990	4	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#3411	5	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#3959	4	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#4812	3	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#4810	3	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#2319	9	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#2248	9	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#2721	7	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#2892	6	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#3332	5	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#1859	11	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#1953	10	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#2211	8	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#2538	6	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#2174	7	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#3009	4	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#1799	7	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#1746	7	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#2501	4	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#1850	6	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#1821	6	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#1761	6	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#2020	5	High	Verified
2025	Norway	male	#61	113	High	Verified
2024	Norway	male	#65	101	High	Verified
2023	Norway	male	#58	112	High	Verified
2022	Norway	male	#76	88	High	Verified
2021	Norway	male	#68	93	High	Verified
2020	Norway	male	#92	63	High	Verified
2019	Norway	male	#84	90	High	Verified
2018	Norway	male	#109	61	High	Verified
2017	Norway	male	#92	84	High	Verified
2016	Norway	male	#102	72	High	Verified
2015	Norway	male	#117	61	High	Verified
2014	Norway	male	#111	63	High	Verified
2013	Norway	male	#118	61	High	Verified
2012	Norway	male	#118	65	High	Verified
2011	Norway	male	#148	44	High	Verified
2010	Norway	male	#139	48	High	Verified
2009	Norway	male	#140	50	High	Verified
2008	Norway	male	#143	48	High	Verified
2007	Norway	male	#168	37	High	Verified
2006	Norway	male	#144	47	High	Verified
2005	Norway	male	#128	54	High	Verified
2004	Norway	male	#151	44	High	Verified
2003	Norway	male	#140	46	High	Verified
2002	Norway	male	#129	54	High	Verified
2001	Norway	male	#129	52	High	Verified
2000	Norway	male	#121	60	High	Verified
1999	Norway	male	#136	50	High	Verified
1998	Norway	male	#109	67	High	Verified
1997	Norway	male	#115	64	High	Verified
1996	Norway	male	#121	58	High	Verified
1995	Norway	male	#120	60	High	Verified
1994	Norway	male	#91	82	High	Verified
1993	Norway	male	#109	63	High	Verified
1992	Norway	male	#99	72	High	Verified
1991	Norway	male	#89	85	High	Verified
1990	Norway	male	#90	85	High	Verified
1989	Norway	male	#77	99	High	Verified
1988	Norway	male	#80	96	High	Verified
1987	Norway	male	#85	89	High	Verified
1986	Norway	male	#96	83	High	Verified
1985	Norway	male	#81	98	High	Verified
1984	Norway	male	#77	102	High	Verified
1983	Norway	male	#71	116	High	Verified
1982	Norway	male	#66	129	High	Verified
1981	Norway	male	#66	116	High	Verified
1980	Norway	male	#68	121	High	Verified
1979	Norway	male	#52	156	High	Verified
1978	Norway	male	#52	155	High	Verified
1977	Norway	male	#60	128	High	Verified
1976	Norway	male	#48	171	High	Verified
1975	Norway	male	#52	152	High	Verified
1974	Norway	male	#47	167	High	Verified
1973	Norway	male	#52	164	High	Verified
1972	Norway	male	#43	216	High	Verified
1971	Norway	male	#47	197	High	Verified
1970	Norway	male	#43	229	High	Verified
1969	Norway	male	#44	227	High	Verified
1968	Norway	male	#35	266	High	Verified
1967	Norway	male	#40	236	High	Verified
1966	Norway	male	#36	264	High	Verified
1965	Norway	male	#38	249	High	Verified
1964	Norway	male	#40	240	High	Verified
1963	Norway	male	#28	289	High	Verified
1962	Norway	male	#28	288	High	Verified
1961	Norway	male	#36	254	High	Verified
1960	Norway	male	#32	257	High	Verified
1959	Norway	male	#31	272	High	Verified
1958	Norway	male	#27	290	High	Verified
1957	Norway	male	#33	271	High	Verified
1956	Norway	male	#32	264	High	Verified
1955	Norway	male	#33	250	High	Verified
1954	Norway	male	#29	311	High	Verified
1953	Norway	male	#26	306	High	Verified
1952	Norway	male	#26	315	High	Verified
1951	Norway	male	#23	302	High	Verified
1950	Norway	male	#21	328	High	Verified
1949	Norway	male	#23	316	High	Verified
1948	Norway	male	#22	348	High	Verified
1947	Norway	male	#21	390	High	Verified
1946	Norway	male	#26	322	High	Verified
1945	Norway	male	#26	307	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#337	3	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Norway hub — collected by Statistics Norway (SSB)
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 3 registrars between 1945 and 2025, ranked in 81 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #21, first reached in 1947.

It held a top-100 place in 57 years, 48 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 390 births, registered in Norway in 1947.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1992, and 51 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Nilay · #2425, 18y
Nile · #596, 29y
Nima · #1367, 29y
Nimah · #2416, 15y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 3 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Iver · #26, 78y
Johan · #31, 81y
Mari · #11, 81y
Hans · #10, 81y

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1940 and 1949.

Einar · #21, 81y
Kåre · #21, 75y
Maren · #21, 79y
Mats · #21, 74y

Comparisons involving Nils

Existing comparison pages where Nils and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Nils in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Nils vs Kåre
In 1945 they stood at #26 and #21 in Norway · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #61 and #358.
Nils · Kåre · 75 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Helge vs Nils
In 1945 they stood at #22 and #26 in Norway · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2025 they were #352 and #61.
Helge · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Aksel vs Nils
Aksel and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #25 and #61.
Aksel · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Compared inside Norway lists

Pairs involving Nils measured in Norway's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Nils at its highest position.

Anders vs Nils
Anders and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #293 and #61.
Anders · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Andreas vs Nils
Andreas and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #96 and #61.
Andreas · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Arne vs Nils
Arne and Nils were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #222 and #61.
Arne · Nils · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Norway overview→

Nils was ranked #21 in Norway · Boys in 1947. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Nils and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Nils without appearing here.

Nils moved ahead of

Shannon Compare
In 2018 they stood at #4812 and #4812 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2019 that had become #3411 and #4702.
Glenn Compare
In 2023 they stood at #3990 and #2730 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2024 that had become #4270 and #5119.
Graham Compare
In 2023 they stood at #3990 and #1391 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2024 that had become #4270 and #5119.
Jade Compare
In 2020 they stood at #3411 and #3411 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2021 that had become #3990 and #4789.

Moved ahead of Nils

Fredrik Compare
In 2015 they stood at #2319 and #2483 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #4810 and #2027.
Ole Compare
In 2015 they stood at #2319 and #3908 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #4810 and #2335.
Gunnar Compare
In 2015 they stood at #2319 and #3373 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #4810 and #2556.
Theodor Compare
In 2009 they stood at #1859 and #2544 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2010 that had become #3332 and #1201.

Moved the opposite way to Nils

Daniel Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 while Daniel went from #280 to #66.
David Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 while David went from #167 to #88.
Emil Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 while Emil went from #271 to #2.
Even Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 while Even went from #180 to #42.

Moved the same way as Nils

Arild Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 and Arild from #32 to #489.
Arne Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 and Arne from #6 to #222.
Bjørn Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 and Bjørn from #3 to #56.
Dag Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Nils went from #26 to #61 and Dag from #48 to #426.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #21 in Norway in 1950. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Nils

Nils at a glance

What stands out in Nils's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Nils across 2 official records

Nils by decade in Norway · Boys

Nils appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Nils

Longest shared records

Compared inside Norway lists

Names published alongside Nils

Nils and the names beside it

Nils moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Nils

Moved the opposite way to Nils

Moved the same way as Nils

Nils at a glance

What stands out in Nils's record

Nils across 2 official records

Nils by decade in Norway · Boys

Nils appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Nils

Longest shared records

Compared inside Norway lists

Names published alongside Nils

Nils and the names beside it

Nils moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Nils

Moved the opposite way to Nils

Moved the same way as Nils