Barbara vs Fenella
Barbara and Fenellacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Barbara was ranked #2000 and Fenella #2771 among girls in England and Wales.
Barbara and Fenella over time
Barbara and Fenella appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fenella 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Barbara #848 in 1996, Fenella #848 in 1996.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Barbara held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Fenella in 9.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #848 in 1996, Fenella #848 in 1996.
The order changed in 2007: Barbara moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #1660 and #1119; by 2007 that had become #1234 and #1965.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Barbara #2000, Fenella #2771.
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 | Barbara | Fenella |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2000 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #2771 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Barbara and Fenella both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Barbara
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #271 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1971
Highest recorded position: #10 among girls in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1971).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Fenella
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #848 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #848 among girls in England and Wales, in 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2771 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls