Anna vs Irena
Anna and Irenacompared 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 1990, Anna was ranked #21 and Irena #656 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Anna was ranked #126 and Irena #2689 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Irena over time
Anna and Irena appear together in 2 published lists, across 58 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Irena in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Irena 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 40 shared years in Norway · Girls, Anna rose about as far as Irena fell — from #46 and #352 in 1947 to #21 and #656 in 1990.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Irena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 40 years, from 1947 to 1990, ending at #21 and #656.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Anna #31 in 2000, Irena #2416 in 2000.
List by list
Norway · Girls40 shared years, 1947–1990
Anna held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Irena in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #14 in 1983, Irena #256 in 1952.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Anna #21, Irena #656.
England and Wales · Girls18 shared years, 2000–2023
Anna held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Irena in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Irena #2416 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Anna #126, Irena #2689.
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 | Irena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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 #2689 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| 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); Irena does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Irena.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Irena 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
Irena
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #352 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–1990
Highest recorded position: #256 among girls in Norway, in 1952 (recorded 1947–1990).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #2689 among girls in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Girls