Alma vs Arlene
Alma and Arlenecompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #211 and Arlene #5927 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Alma was ranked #625 and Arlene #856 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Alma and Arlene over time
Alma and Arlene appear together in 2 published lists, across 41 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Alma and Arlene changed places 17 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1965 and 2023, ending at #625 and #856.
- Longest-running competitions
Alma and Arlene were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 32 years, from 1965 to 2023, ending at #625 and #856.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls32 shared years, 1965–2023
Alma held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Arlene in 18.
Highest recorded here: Alma #204 in 1978, Arlene #157 in 1984.
The order changed in 2023: Alma moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #528 and #439; by 2023 that had become #625 and #856.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Alma #625, Arlene #856.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 1997–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Arlene in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alma #211 in 2025, Arlene #3824 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #211, Arlene #5927.
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 | Alma | Arlene |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5927 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Arlene.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Alma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #293 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: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #211 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Arlene
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1965–2023
Highest recorded position: #157 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1984 (recorded 1965–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5927 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls