Ann vs May
Ann and Maycompared 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, Ann was ranked #404 and May #422 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ann was ranked #443 and May #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ann was ranked #1406 and May #610 among girls in England and Wales.
Ann and May over time
Ann and May appear together in 3 published lists, across 138 years of shared records. Ann held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, May in 1.
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.
Ann reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, May 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
Ann and May changed places 13 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2023, ending at #404 and #422.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 75 shared years in Norway · Girls, Ann and May averaged 45.7 places apart, ending at #404 and #422.
- Longest-running competitions
Ann and May were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 75 years, from 1945 to 2023, ending at #404 and #422.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2023
Ann held the stronger position in 59 of those years, May in 16.
Highest recorded here: Ann #10 in 1967, May #24 in 1956.
The order changed in 2023: Ann moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #404 and #309; by 2023 that had become #404 and #422.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ann #404, May #422.
Republic of Ireland · Girls34 shared years, 1967–2025
Ann held the stronger position in 26 of those years, May in 6.
Highest recorded here: Ann #4 in 1967, May #262 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ann #443, May #718.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ann held the stronger position in 0 of those years, May in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ann #539 in 1996, May #325 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ann #1406, May #610.
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 | Ann | May |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #443 (2025) | Norway · Girls #481 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ann and May both have 1 syllable.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Ann
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #82 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
May
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #43 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: #24 among girls in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #481 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls