Anette vs Lena
Anette and Lenacompared 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 2016, Anette was ranked #5785 and Lena #138 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2024, Anette was ranked #479 and Lena #223 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1976, Anette was ranked #429 and Lena #329 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Anette and Lena over time
Anette and Lena appear together in 1 published list, across 69 years of shared records. Anette held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Lena in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Lena reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Anette 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
Anette and Lena changed places 14 times in Norway · Girls between 1947 and 2024, ending at #479 and #223.
- Longest-running competitions
Anette and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 69 years, from 1947 to 2024, ending at #479 and #223.
List by list
Norway · Girls69 shared years, 1947–2024
Anette held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Lena in 32.
Highest recorded here: Anette #5 in 1982, Lena #20 in 1969.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anette #479, Lena #223.
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 | Anette | Lena |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions |
| Pronunciation | /ˈleː.na/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #479 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Anette does not have one recorded yet.
- Anette has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Lena.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Anette doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Anette
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #361 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–2024
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Norway, in 1982 (recorded 1947–2024).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #479 among girls in Norway, in 2024.
Norway · Girls
Lena
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #346 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: #20 among girls in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls