Anja vs Magdalena
Anja and Magdalenacompared 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 2023, Anja was ranked #345 and Magdalena #474 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Anja was ranked #4867 and Magdalena #1362 among girls in England and Wales.
Anja and Magdalena over time
Anja and Magdalena appear together in 2 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Anja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Magdalena 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
Anja and Magdalena changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1958 and 2023, ending at #345 and #474.
- Longest-running competitions
Anja and Magdalena were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #4867 and #1362.
List by list
Norway · Girls59 shared years, 1958–2023
Anja held the stronger position in 56 of those years, Magdalena in 3.
Highest recorded here: Anja #63 in 1979, Magdalena #71 in 1984.
The order changed in 2009: Anja moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #311 and #308; by 2009 that had become #316 and #338.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Anja #345, Magdalena #474.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Anja held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Magdalena in 19.
Highest recorded here: Anja #816 in 2001, Magdalena #712 in 2012.
The order changed in 2007: Magdalena moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #1153 and #1435; by 2007 that had become #1234 and #866.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anja #4867, Magdalena #1362.
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 | Anja | Magdalena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #303 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #1362 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anja has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Magdalena.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Anja
Popularity journey
First recorded1956
First recorded at #272 among girls in Norway in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2025
Highest recorded position: #63 among girls in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1956–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4867 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Magdalena
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #392 among girls in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1952–2023
Highest recorded position: #71 among girls in Norway, in 1984 (recorded 1952–2023).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1362 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls