Alma vs Maj
Alma and Majcompared 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.
Norway · Girls
In 1989, Alma was ranked #470 and Maj #538 among girls in Norway.
Alma and Maj over time
Alma and Maj appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Alma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Maj 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.
Maj 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alma and Maj changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1946 and 1989, ending at #470 and #538.
List by list
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1946–1989
Alma held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Maj in 13.
Highest recorded here: Alma #257 in 1980, Maj #150 in 1959.
The order changed in 1985: Alma moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #620 and #488; by 1985 that had become #319 and #670.
Most recent shared year, 1989: Alma #470, Maj #538.
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 | Maj |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | Norway · Girls #416 (1990) |
| 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 Maj.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
Maj
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #299 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–1990
Highest recorded position: #150 among girls in Norway, in 1959 (recorded 1946–1990).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1990
Most recently recorded at #416 among girls in Norway, in 1990.
Norway · Girls