Anna vs Grethe
Anna and Grethecompared 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 2012, Anna was ranked #8 and Grethe #576 among girls in Norway.
Anna and Grethe over time
Anna and Grethe appear together in 1 published list, across 60 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Grethe in 0.
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.
Grethe reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Anna 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1971, Anna moved ahead of Grethe in Norway · Girls — #63 and #60 the year before became #53 and #69.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Grethe were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 60 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #8 and #576.
List by list
Norway · Girls60 shared years, 1945–2012
Anna held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Grethe in 26.
Highest recorded here: Anna #6 in 1995, Grethe #13 in 1957.
The order changed in 1971: Anna moved ahead. In 1970 they stood at #63 and #60; by 1971 that had become #53 and #69.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Anna #8, Grethe #576.
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 | Grethe |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 #576 (2012) |
| 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); Grethe does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna and Grethe both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Grethe 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
Grethe
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #21 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2012
Highest recorded position: #13 among girls in Norway, in 1957 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #576 among girls in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Girls