---
title: "Sock brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the sock brands New Zealanders wear. Share of Search among Darn Tough, NZ Sock Company, Happy Socks and Lorpen, the sock brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Sock brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the sock brands New Zealanders wear. Share of Search among Darn Tough, NZ Sock Company, Happy Socks and Lorpen, the sock brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Sock brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 4
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Darn Tough, 44.6%

## Which brand is most popular in search among sock brands in New Zealand?

- In August 2026, Darn Tough was the most searched among sock brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 1.5K branded searches and 44.6% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- NZ Sock Company is in 2nd place, 3.1 percentage points behind at 41.6% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Darn Tough’s estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand increased from 28.3% to 44.6%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NZ Sock Company’s estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand decreased from 44.8% to 41.6%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Happy Socks’ estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand decreased from 26.4% to 13.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Darn Tough’s estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand peaked at 68.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 25.4% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NZ Sock Company’s estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand peaked at 47.6% in January 2026 and was lowest at 24.3% in June 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Happy Socks’ estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand peaked at 29.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 6.3% in June 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lorpen’s estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand peaked at 1.9% in January 2026 and was lowest at 0.47% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Darn Tough rose from 2nd to 1st among sock brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NZ Sock Company fell from 1st to 2nd among sock brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lorpen held steady: its estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Darn Tough vs NZ Sock Company: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/darn-tough-vs-nz-sock-company): 44.6% against 41.6% Share of Search.
- [Darn Tough vs Happy Socks: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/darn-tough-vs-happy-socks): 44.6% against 13.1% Share of Search.
- [NZ Sock Company vs Happy Socks: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/happy-socks-vs-nz-sock-company): 41.6% against 13.1% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand sock brands in August 2026?

- In August 2026, NZ Sock Company gained estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand, from 27.4% to 41.6%.
- In August 2026, Happy Socks gained estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand, from 6.3% to 13.1%.
- In August 2026, Darn Tough lost estimated Share of Search among sock brands in New Zealand, from 65.5% to 44.6%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Lorpen in New Zealand rose 100% over 11 measured months, from 10 to 20 in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Darn Tough | 44.6% | 1.5K | -56.0% | Darn Tough |
| 2 | NZ Sock Company | 41.6% | 1.4K | -2.2% | NZ Sock Company |
| 3 | Happy Socks | 13.1% | 430 | +34.4% | Happy Socks |
| 4 | Lorpen | 0.61% | 20 | -50.0% | Lorpen |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | NZ Sock Company | 950 | 44.8% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Darn Tough | 600 | 28.3% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Happy Socks | 560 | 26.4% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Lorpen | 10 | 0.47% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | NZ Sock Company | 1.4K | 46.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Happy Socks | 820 | 27.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Darn Tough | 760 | 25.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Lorpen | 30 | 1% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | NZ Sock Company | 1.1K | 43.1% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Happy Socks | 760 | 29.2% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Darn Tough | 700 | 26.9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Lorpen | 20 | 0.77% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 990 | 47.6% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Darn Tough | 750 | 36.1% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Happy Socks | 300 | 14.4% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Lorpen | 40 | 1.9% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Darn Tough | 1.1K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 940 | 39.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Happy Socks | 280 | 11.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Lorpen | 30 | 1.3% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Darn Tough | 1.7K | 52.9% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.2K | 36.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Happy Socks | 320 | 9.8% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Lorpen | 20 | 0.62% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Darn Tough | 2.1K | 58% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.2K | 33.3% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Happy Socks | 290 | 8.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Lorpen | 20 | 0.56% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Darn Tough | 3.1K | 59.9% | 1 |
| May 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.7K | 32.7% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Happy Socks | 360 | 6.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Lorpen | 30 | 0.57% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Darn Tough | 3.9K | 68.9% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.4K | 24.3% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Happy Socks | 350 | 6.3% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Lorpen | 30 | 0.54% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Darn Tough | 3.3K | 65.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.4K | 27.4% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Happy Socks | 320 | 6.3% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Lorpen | 40 | 0.79% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Darn Tough | 1.5K | 44.6% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | NZ Sock Company | 1.4K | 41.6% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Happy Socks | 430 | 13.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Lorpen | 20 | 0.61% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Darn Tough | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Happy Socks | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Lorpen | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | NZ Sock Company | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Darn Tough**: Measured on the search terms “darn tough”, “darn tough hiking socks”, “darn tough merino socks”, “darn tough near me”, “darn tough nz”, “darn tough running socks”, “darn tough socks”, “darn tough wool socks”, “darn tough work socks”, “darntough”, “darntough com”, “darntough hiking socks”, “darntough socks” and “mens darn tough socks”, summed into one figure.
- **Happy Socks**: Measured on the search terms “happy socks”, “happy socks near me”, “happy socks nz”, “happy socks online”, “happy socks socks”, “happysocks”, “happysocks com”, “happysocks nz” and “happysocks socks”, summed into one figure.
- **Lorpen**: Measured on the search terms “lorpen”, “lorpen hiking socks”, “lorpen merino socks” and “lorpen socks”, summed into one figure.
- **NZ Sock Company**: Measured on the search terms “nz sock co”, “nz sock company ashburton” and “the nz sock company”, summed into one figure.

- [Darn Tough](/demand/nz/brands/darn-tough)
- [Happy Socks](/demand/nz/brands/happy-socks)
- [Lorpen](/demand/nz/brands/lorpen)
- [NZ Sock Company](/demand/nz/brands/nz-sock-company)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among sock brands in New Zealand?

In August 2026, Darn Tough was the most searched among sock brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 1.5K branded searches and 44.6% estimated Share of Search within this set.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Sock brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.