Anna vs Iren
Anna and Irencompared 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 1994, Anna was ranked #17 and Iren #579 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Iren #4843 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Iren over time
Anna and Iren appear together in 1 published list, across 41 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Iren in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Iren 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Iren were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 41 years, from 1951 to 1994, ending at #17 and #579.
List by list
Norway · Girls41 shared years, 1951–1994
Anna held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Iren in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #14 in 1983, Iren #104 in 1968.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1994: Anna #17, Iren #579.
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 | Iren |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #4843 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission); Iren does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna and Iren both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Iren doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Iren
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #144 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1951–1994
Highest recorded position: #104 among girls in Norway, in 1968 (recorded 1951–1994).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1994
Most recently recorded at #579 among girls in Norway, in 1994.
Norway · Girls