Bessie vs Ida
Bessie and Idacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Bessie was ranked #1743 and Ida #337 among girls in England and Wales.
Bessie and Ida over time
Bessie and Ida appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Ida held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bessie 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.
Bessie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ida 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
England and Wales · Girls27 shared years, 1996–2024
Bessie held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Ida in 25.
Highest recorded here: Bessie #1094 in 2014, Ida #257 in 2021.
The order changed in 2000: Ida moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #2444 and #2770; by 2000 that had become #3247 and #2167.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Bessie #1743, Ida #337.
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 | Bessie | Ida |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈiːdɑ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #1743 (2024) | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ida has a recorded origin (Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition); Bessie does not have one recorded yet.
- Bessie and Ida both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ida; Bessie doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Bessie
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2683 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1094 among girls in England and Wales, in 2014 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1743 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Ida
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #204 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: #1 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #37 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls