Barbara vs Kerstin
Barbara and Kerstincompared 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 1993, Barbara was ranked #367 and Kerstin #646 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2005, Barbara was ranked #1589 and Kerstin #4798 among girls in England and Wales.
Barbara and Kerstin over time
Barbara and Kerstin appear together in 1 published list, across 39 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kerstin in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Kerstin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Barbara 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 Kerstin changed places 8 times in Norway · Girls between 1946 and 1993, ending at #367 and #646.
- Longest-running competitions
Barbara and Kerstin were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 39 years, from 1946 to 1993, ending at #367 and #646.
List by list
Norway · Girls39 shared years, 1946–1993
Barbara held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Kerstin in 5.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #167 in 1960, Kerstin #198 in 1955.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1993: Barbara #367, Kerstin #646.
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 | Kerstin |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2000 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #4798 (2005) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Barbara has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Kerstin.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Kerstin
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #247 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1993
Highest recorded position: #198 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–1993).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #4798 among girls in England and Wales, in 2005.
England and Wales · Girls