Anna vs Heidi
Anna and Heidicompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #19 and Heidi #65 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #23 and Heidi #437 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Heidi #91 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #53 and Heidi #95 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2019, Anna was ranked #70 and Heidi #99 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2019, Anna was ranked #91 and Heidi #87 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Heidi #107 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Heidi over time
Anna and Heidi appear together in 6 published lists, across 210 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Heidi 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 3 of the lists they share.
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 2021, Heidi moved ahead of Anna in England and Wales · Girls — #89 and #95 the year before became #97 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Heidi were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #23 and #437.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 55 of those years, Heidi in 26.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2007, Heidi #2 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #23, Heidi #437.
Republic of Ireland · Girls47 shared years, 1968–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Heidi in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Heidi #74 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Heidi #91.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Heidi in 4.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Heidi #76 in 2016.
The order changed in 2021: Heidi moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #89 and #95; by 2021 that had become #97 and #84.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Heidi #107.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1997–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Heidi in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2016, Heidi #48 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #19, Heidi #65.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls19 shared years, 1971–2019
Anna held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Heidi in 1.
Highest recorded here: Anna #36 in 1980, Heidi #64 in 1973.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Anna #70, Heidi #99.
New Zealand · Girls8 shared years, 1975–2019
Anna held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Heidi in 1.
Highest recorded here: Anna #3 in 1980, Heidi #72 in 1977.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Anna #91, Heidi #87.
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 | Heidi |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | A German diminutive of Adelheid. Gained wide recognition through Johanna Spyri's 1880 children's novel Heidi, and its 1937 film adaptation starring Shirley Temple. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission | Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid |
| Pronunciation | /ˈa.na/ | /ˈhaɪ̯.di/ |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #91 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission origin, while Heidi is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid origin.
- Anna and Heidi both have 2 syllables.
- Anna's recorded meaning differs from Heidi's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
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
Heidi
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #188 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: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1965 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #437 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls