Barbara vs Maylen
Barbara and Maylencompared 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 1996, Barbara was ranked #623 and Maylen #494 among girls in Norway.
Barbara and Maylen over time
Barbara and Maylen appear together in 1 published list, across 17 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Maylen 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 Maylen 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls17 shared years, 1967–1996
Barbara held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Maylen in 2.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #182 in 1984, Maylen #339 in 1988.
The order changed in 1996: Maylen moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #615 and #644; by 1996 that had become #623 and #494.
Most recent shared year, 1996: Barbara #623, Maylen #494.
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 | Maylen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2000 (2024) | Norway · Girls #476 (2008) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Barbara has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Maylen.
- 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
Maylen
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #570 among girls in Norway in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2008
Highest recorded position: #339 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1967–2008).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #476 among girls in Norway, in 2008.
Norway · Girls