Alma vs Bethany
Alma and Bethanycompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #226 and Bethany #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Bethany #539 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #315 and Bethany #384 among girls in Scotland.
Alma and Bethany over time
Alma and Bethany appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 years of shared records. Bethany held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Alma 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.
Bethany reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alma and Bethany changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1991 and 2025, ending at #226 and #544.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Bethany in 26.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Bethany #11 in 1999.
The order changed in 2022: Alma moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #267 and #227; by 2022 that had become #279 and #284.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Bethany #539.
Republic of Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1991–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Bethany in 18.
Highest recorded here: Alma #213 in 2024, Bethany #197 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #226, Bethany #544.
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 | Bethany |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #544 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Bethany.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, 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 #8 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Bethany
Popularity journey
First recorded1991
First recorded at #457 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls