Benthe vs Selma
Benthe and Selmacompared 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 1976, Benthe was ranked #538 and Selma #628 among girls in Norway.
Benthe and Selma over time
Benthe and Selma appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Benthe held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Selma 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.
Selma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Benthe 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 · Girls12 shared years, 1950–1976
Benthe held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Selma in 3.
Highest recorded here: Benthe #216 in 1954, Selma #267 in 1950.
The order changed in 1976: Benthe moved ahead. In 1975 they stood at #592 and #523; by 1976 that had become #538 and #628.
Most recent shared year, 1976: Benthe #538, Selma #628.
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 | Benthe | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #538 (1976) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Benthe and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Benthe
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #315 among girls in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1950–1976
Highest recorded position: #216 among girls in Norway, in 1954 (recorded 1950–1976).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1976
Most recently recorded at #538 among girls in Norway, in 1976.
Norway · Girls
Selma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #352 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: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls