Barbara vs Irmelin
Barbara and Irmelincompared 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 2012, Barbara was ranked #516 and Irmelin #396 among girls in Norway.
Barbara and Irmelin over time
Barbara and Irmelin appear together in 1 published list, across 35 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Irmelin 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.
Barbara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Irmelin 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
Barbara and Irmelin changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1950 and 2012, ending at #516 and #396.
- Longest-running competitions
Barbara and Irmelin were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 35 years, from 1950 to 2012, ending at #516 and #396.
List by list
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1950–2012
Barbara held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Irmelin in 6.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #167 in 1960, Irmelin #287 in 1990.
The order changed in 1995: Irmelin moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #399 and #476; by 1995 that had become #615 and #305.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Barbara #516, Irmelin #396.
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 | Irmelin |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2000 (2024) | Norway · Girls #514 (2023) |
| 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 Irmelin both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
Irmelin
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #368 among girls in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1950–2023
Highest recorded position: #255 among girls in Norway, in 1997 (recorded 1950–2023).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #514 among girls in Norway, in 2023.
Norway · Girls