Ada vs Madelen
Ada and Madelencompared 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 · Girls
In 2025, Ada was ranked #18 and Madelen #193 among girls in Norway.
Ada and Madelen over time
Ada and Madelen appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Madelen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ada 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
Ada and Madelen changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1983 and 2025, ending at #18 and #193.
- Longest-running competitions
Ada and Madelen were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1983 to 2025, ending at #18 and #193.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1983–2025
Ada held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Madelen in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ada #6 in 2019, Madelen #58 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ada #18, Madelen #193.
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 | Ada | Madelen |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A short form of Germanic names beginning with 'adal' meaning 'noble', such as Adelaide or Adelina. Notably borne by Ada Lovelace, who assisted Charles Babbage with early computer development. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪ.də/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #18 (2025) | Norway · Girls #193 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ada has a recorded origin (Germanic); Madelen does not have one recorded yet.
- Ada has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Madelen.
- A meaning is recorded for Ada; Madelen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Ada
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #229 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among girls in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #18 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Madelen
Popularity journey
First recorded1983
First recorded at #653 among girls in Norway in 1983 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1983–2025
Highest recorded position: #58 among girls in Norway, in 2011 (recorded 1983–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #193 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls