Alma vs Bess
Alma and Besscompared 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 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Bess #5891 among girls in England and Wales.
Alma and Bess over time
Alma and Bess appear together in 1 published list, across 20 years of shared records. Alma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bess 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.
Bess reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alma 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 20 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Alma rose about as far as Bess fell — from #3225 and #3225 in 1999 to #234 and #5891 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls20 shared years, 1999–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Bess in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Bess #1966 in 2014.
The order changed in 2000: Alma moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #3225 and #3225; by 2000 that had become #2416 and #3247.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Bess #5891.
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 | Bess |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Bess.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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 #8 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Bess
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #3225 among girls in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1999–2024
Highest recorded position: #1966 among girls in England and Wales, in 2014 (recorded 1999–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls