Ayla vs Heidi
Ayla and Heidicompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ayla was ranked #39 and Heidi #91 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ayla was ranked #39 and Heidi #95 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ayla was ranked #47 and Heidi #107 among girls in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2022, Ayla was ranked #51 and Heidi #99 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2019, Ayla was ranked #64 and Heidi #99 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ayla was ranked #75 and Heidi #65 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ayla was ranked #114 and Heidi #437 among girls in Norway.
Ayla and Heidi over time
Ayla and Heidi appear together in 4 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Heidi held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ayla in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Heidi reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Ayla 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2019, Ayla moved ahead of Heidi in England and Wales · Girls — #95 and #86 the year before became #84 and #93.
- Longest-running competitions
Ayla and Heidi were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 35 years, from 1991 to 2025, ending at #114 and #437.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ayla #75 in 2021, Heidi #48 in 2021.
List by list
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1991–2025
Ayla held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Heidi in 26.
Highest recorded here: Ayla #114 in 2025, Heidi #45 in 1992.
The order changed in 2018: Ayla moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #313 and #293; by 2018 that had become #273 and #333.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ayla #114, Heidi #437.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ayla held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Heidi in 23.
Highest recorded here: Ayla #47 in 2024, Heidi #76 in 2016.
The order changed in 2019: Ayla moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #95 and #86; by 2019 that had become #84 and #93.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ayla #47, Heidi #107.
Republic of Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 2002–2025
Ayla held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Heidi in 17.
Highest recorded here: Ayla #39 in 2025, Heidi #74 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ayla #39, Heidi #91.
Northern Ireland · Girls17 shared years, 2007–2024
Ayla held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Heidi in 17.
Highest recorded here: Ayla #75 in 2021, Heidi #48 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ayla #75, Heidi #65.
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 | Ayla | Heidi |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A German diminutive of Adelheid. Gained wide recognition through Johanna Spyri's 1880 children's novel Heidi, and its 1937 film adaptation starring Shirley Temple. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhaɪ̯.di/ | |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #39 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #91 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Heidi has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid); Ayla does not have one recorded yet.
- Ayla and Heidi both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Heidi; Ayla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Ayla
Popularity journey
First recorded1991
First recorded at #539 among girls in Norway in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded2013–2025
Highest recorded position: #39 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2022 (recorded 2013–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #43 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Heidi
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #188 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: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1965 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #437 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls