Anna vs Gretha
Anna and Grethacompared 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 1969, Anna was ranked #66 and Gretha #444 among girls in Norway.
Anna and Gretha over time
Anna and Gretha appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Gretha in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Anna #38 in 1945, Gretha #122 in 1945.
List by list
Norway · Girls24 shared years, 1945–1969
Anna held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Gretha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #38 in 1945, Gretha #122 in 1945.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1969: Anna #66, Gretha #444.
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 | Gretha |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Norway · Girls #444 (1969) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission); Gretha does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna and Gretha both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Gretha doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Gretha
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #122 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1969
Highest recorded position: #122 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–1969).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1969
Most recently recorded at #444 among girls in Norway, in 1969.
Norway · Girls