Ava vs Vanja
Ava and Vanjacompared 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 2019, Ava was ranked #143 and Vanja #527 among girls in Norway.
Ava and Vanja over time
Ava and Vanja appear together in 1 published list, across 16 years of shared records. Ava held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Vanja 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.
Vanja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ava 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls16 shared years, 1999–2019
Ava held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Vanja in 6.
Highest recorded here: Ava #121 in 2016, Vanja #185 in 2001.
The order changed in 2006: Ava moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #449 and #322; by 2006 that had become #298 and #582.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Ava #143, Vanja #527.
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 | Ava | Vanja |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (2025) | Norway · Girls #527 (2019) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ava has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve); Vanja does not have one recorded yet.
- Ava and Vanja both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ava; Vanja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Ava
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #522 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 1978–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Vanja
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #439 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2019
Highest recorded position: #139 among girls in Norway, in 1972 (recorded 1953–2019).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #527 among girls in Norway, in 2019.
Norway · Girls