Anna vs Kayla
Anna and Kaylacompared 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 Kayla #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Kayla #130 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #53 and Kayla #171 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2014, Anna was ranked #69 and Kayla #89 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2012, Anna was ranked #71 and Kayla #83 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Kayla #332 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Kayla over time
Anna and Kayla appear together in 5 published lists, across 145 years of shared records. Anna held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Kayla in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Anna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Kayla in 2. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Anna and Kayla changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 1985 and 2012, ending at #71 and #83.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 27 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Anna and Kayla averaged 18.5 places apart, ending at #71 and #83.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Kayla were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 33 years, from 1991 to 2025, ending at #26 and #130.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Anna #12 in 2013, Kayla #21 in 2011.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1991–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Kayla #21 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Kayla #130.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Kayla #98 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Kayla #332.
New Zealand · Girls29 shared years, 1986–2014
Anna held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Kayla in 5.
Highest recorded here: Anna #10 in 1987, Kayla #18 in 1992.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Anna #69, Kayla #89.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls27 shared years, 1985–2012
Anna held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Kayla in 17.
Highest recorded here: Anna #35 in 1986, Kayla #28 in 1990.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Anna #71, Kayla #83.
Northern Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1998–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2016, Kayla #40 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #19, Kayla #253.
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 | Kayla |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #130 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| 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 has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission); Kayla does not have one recorded yet.
- Anna and Kayla both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Anna; Kayla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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
Kayla
Popularity journey
First recorded1985
First recorded at #68 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1985 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1986–2014
Highest recorded position: #18 among girls in New Zealand, in 1992 (recorded 1986–2014).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #130 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls