Bente vs Lena
Bente and Lenacompared 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 2011, Bente was ranked #568 and Lena #111 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2004, Bente was ranked #4598 and Lena #565 among girls in England and Wales.
Bente and Lena over time
Bente and Lena appear together in 1 published list, across 61 years of shared records. Bente held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Lena 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.
Bente reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lena 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Norway · Girls, Lena moved into the top 50 at #29 in 1980 as Bente fell out of it to #58, having been #46 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1980, Lena moved ahead of Bente in Norway · Girls — #46 and #70 the year before became #58 and #29.
- Longest-running competitions
Bente and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1945 to 2011, ending at #568 and #111.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1945–2011
Bente held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Lena in 27.
Highest recorded here: Bente #2 in 1955, Lena #20 in 1969.
The order changed in 1980: Lena moved ahead. In 1979 they stood at #46 and #70; by 1980 that had become #58 and #29.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Bente #568, Lena #111.
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 | Bente | Lena |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions |
| Pronunciation | /ˈleː.na/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #568 (2011) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Bente does not have one recorded yet.
- Bente and Lena both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Bente doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Bente
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #66 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2011
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–2011).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2011
Most recently recorded at #568 among girls in Norway, in 2011.
Norway · Girls
Lena
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #346 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #20 among girls in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #294 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls