Bairbre vs Lena
Bairbre and Lenacompared 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 1995, Bairbre was ranked #516 and Lena #296 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Bairbre and Lena over time
Bairbre and Lena appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Lena held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bairbre 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.
Bairbre reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lena 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Bairbre and Lena changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1967 and 1995, ending at #516 and #296.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 1967–1995
Bairbre held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Lena in 14.
Highest recorded here: Bairbre #321 in 1975, Lena #245 in 1980.
The order changed in 1982: Lena moved ahead. In 1981 they stood at #386 and #423; by 1982 that had become #523 and #286.
Most recent shared year, 1995: Bairbre #516, Lena #296.
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 | Bairbre | Lena |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈleː.na/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #516 (1995) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Bairbre does not have one recorded yet.
- Bairbre and Lena both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Bairbre doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Bairbre
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #354 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1967–1995
Highest recorded position: #321 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1967–1995).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1995
Most recently recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1995.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Lena
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #346 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: #20 among girls in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls