Alma vs Nancy
Alma and Nancycompared 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 2011, Alma was ranked #38 and Nancy #482 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Nancy #81 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #226 and Nancy #99 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #315 and Nancy #260 among girls in Scotland.
Alma and Nancy over time
Alma and Nancy appear together in 3 published lists, across 116 years of shared records. Nancy held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Alma in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Nancy reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Alma in 1. 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 Nancy changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2011, ending at #38 and #482.
- Mirrored each other
Over 47 shared years in Norway · Girls, Alma rose about as far as Nancy fell — from #293 and #249 in 1945 to #38 and #482 in 2011.
- Longest-running competitions
Alma and Nancy were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 47 years, from 1945 to 2011, ending at #38 and #482.
List by list
Norway · Girls47 shared years, 1945–2011
Alma held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Nancy in 28.
Highest recorded here: Alma #38 in 2011, Nancy #151 in 1970.
The order changed in 1992: Alma moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #470 and #464; by 1992 that had become #491 and #564.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Alma #38, Nancy #482.
Republic of Ireland · Girls40 shared years, 1965–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Nancy in 19.
Highest recorded here: Alma #204 in 1978, Nancy #99 in 2025.
The order changed in 2006: Nancy moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #443 and #620; by 2006 that had become #764 and #431.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #226, Nancy #99.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nancy in 29.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Nancy #64 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Nancy #81.
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 | Nancy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #99 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma and Nancy both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, 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
Nancy
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #249 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #64 among girls in England and Wales, in 2018 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #99 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls