Anna vs Elisabeth
Anna and Elisabethcompared 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, Anna was ranked #23 and Elisabeth #171 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Elisabeth #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Elisabeth #1449 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Elisabeth over time
Anna and Elisabeth appear together in 3 published lists, across 130 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Elisabeth in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Elisabeth reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Anna 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
Anna and Elisabeth changed places 6 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #23 and #171.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Girls, Anna and Elisabeth averaged 53.8 places apart, ending at #23 and #171.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Elisabeth were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #23 and #171.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Anna #31 in 2000, Elisabeth #374 in 1998.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Elisabeth in 43.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2007, Elisabeth #6 in 1978.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #23, Elisabeth #171.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Elisabeth in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Elisabeth #374 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Elisabeth #1449.
Republic of Ireland · Girls20 shared years, 1995–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Elisabeth in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Elisabeth #502 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Elisabeth #885.
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 | Anna | Elisabeth |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, from the Hebrew root 'hanan' relating to grace. Appears in the New Testament as a prophetess who recognised Jesus as the Messiah. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈa.na/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Norway · Girls #171 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission); Elisabeth does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Elisabeth.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Elisabeth doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Anna
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #38 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2021
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1956–2021).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Elisabeth
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #50 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: #6 among girls in Norway, in 1978 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #171 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls