Anny vs Selma
Anny and Selmacompared 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 2024, Anny was ranked #449 and Selma #5 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2013, Anny was ranked #4050 and Selma #1707 among girls in England and Wales.
Anny and Selma over time
Anny and Selma appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Anny 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.
Anny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Selma 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
Anny and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #449 and #5.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1945–2024
Anny held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Selma in 27.
Highest recorded here: Anny #79 in 1947, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 1977: Selma moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #536 and #628; by 1977 that had become #591 and #323.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anny #449, Selma #5.
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 | Anny | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | ||
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #449 (2024) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anny and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Anny
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #99 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #79 among girls in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #449 among girls in Norway, in 2024.
Norway · Girls
Selma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #352 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: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls