Barbara vs Merete
Barbara and Meretecompared 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 1998, Barbara was ranked #533 and Merete #273 among girls in Norway.
Barbara and Merete over time
Barbara and Merete appear together in 1 published list, across 52 years of shared records. Merete held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Barbara 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 Merete 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Barbara and Merete were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 52 years, from 1946 to 1998, ending at #533 and #273.
List by list
Norway · Girls52 shared years, 1946–1998
Barbara held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Merete in 51.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #167 in 1960, Merete #33 in 1967.
The order changed in 1947: Merete moved ahead. In 1946 they stood at #271 and #314; by 1947 that had become #322 and #205.
Most recent shared year, 1998: Barbara #533, Merete #273.
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 | Merete |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (2005) |
| 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 and Merete 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
Merete
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #241 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2005
Highest recorded position: #33 among girls in Norway, in 1967 (recorded 1945–2005).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #514 among girls in Norway, in 2005.
Norway · Girls