Arnhild vs Paula
Arnhild and Paulacompared 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 1987, Arnhild was ranked #644 and Paula #289 among girls in Norway.
Arnhild and Paula over time
Arnhild and Paula appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Arnhild held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Paula 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.
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
Arnhild and Paula changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 1987, ending at #644 and #289.
- Longest-running competitions
Arnhild and Paula were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1945 to 1987, ending at #644 and #289.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Arnhild #104 in 1949, Paula #214 in 1949.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1945–1987
Arnhild held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Paula in 6.
Highest recorded here: Arnhild #104 in 1949, Paula #214 in 1949.
The order changed in 1986: Paula moved ahead. In 1985 they stood at #423 and #619; by 1986 that had become #589 and #325.
Most recent shared year, 1987: Arnhild #644, Paula #289.
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 | Arnhild | Paula |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #644 (1987) | Norway · Girls #521 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arnhild and Paula both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Arnhild
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #117 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1987
Highest recorded position: #104 among girls in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1945–1987).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1987
Most recently recorded at #644 among girls in Norway, in 1987.
Norway · Girls
Paula
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #264 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1984
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 1970 (recorded 1954–1984).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #521 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls