Alma vs Isobella
Alma and Isobellacompared 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 Isobella #1719 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2017, Alma was ranked #579 and Isobella #873 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Alma and Isobella over time
Alma and Isobella appear together in 2 published lists, across 38 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.
Isobella 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Alma and Isobella were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #211 and #1719.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Isobella in 18.
Highest recorded here: Alma #211 in 2025, Isobella #438 in 2010.
The order changed in 2014: Alma moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #684 and #626; by 2014 that had become #629 and #699.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #211, Isobella #1719.
Republic of Ireland · Girls8 shared years, 2002–2017
Alma held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Isobella in 1.
Highest recorded here: Alma #443 in 2002, Isobella #620 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Alma #579, Isobella #873.
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 | Isobella |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #1719 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Isobella.
- 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
Isobella
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1222 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2010–2022
Highest recorded position: #354 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2022 (recorded 2010–2022).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1719 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls