Alma vs Nora
Alma and Noracompared 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 2025, Alma was ranked #8 and Nora #3 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #315 and Nora #72 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #226 and Nora #76 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Nora #86 among girls in England and Wales.
Alma and Nora over time
Alma and Nora appear together in 3 published lists, across 148 years of shared records. Nora held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Alma in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Nora 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 Nora changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #8 and #3.
- Longest-running competitions
Alma and Nora were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 68 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #8 and #3.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Alma #228 in 2023, Nora #86 in 2024.
List by list
Norway · Girls68 shared years, 1945–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Nora in 66.
Highest recorded here: Alma #5 in 2023, Nora #1 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #8, Nora #3.
Republic of Ireland · Girls51 shared years, 1964–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nora in 51.
Highest recorded here: Alma #204 in 1978, Nora #22 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #226, Nora #76.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nora in 28.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Nora #86 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Nora #86.
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 | Nora |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of the names Honora (linked to Latin 'honor') or Eleanor — not an independently rooted name; Behind the Name does not specify which is the 'true' source for any given historical bearer. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈnɔrə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | Norway · Girls #3 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Nora has a recorded origin (English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor); Alma does not have one recorded yet.
- Alma and Nora both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Nora; Alma doesn't have one written yet.
- 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
Nora
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #219 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: #1 among girls in Norway, in 2014 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls