Alma vs Iona
Alma and Ionacompared 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.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #315 and Iona #83 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #226 and Iona #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Iona #451 among girls in England and Wales.
Alma and Iona over time
Alma and Iona appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 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.
Iona 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 Iona changed places 8 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1988 and 2025, ending at #226 and #544.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Alma rose about as far as Iona fell — from #2096 and #293 in 1996 to #234 and #451 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Iona in 22.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Iona #199 in 2000.
The order changed in 2018: Alma moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #413 and #394; by 2018 that had become #362 and #380.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Iona #451.
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1988–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Iona in 8.
Highest recorded here: Alma #226 in 2025, Iona #394 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #226, Iona #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 | Iona |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | 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 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma and Iona both have 2 syllables.
- 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
Iona
Popularity journey
First recorded1988
First recorded at #492 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1988 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls