Birgit vs Josephine
Birgit and Josephinecompared 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 2017, Birgit was ranked #465 and Josephine #263 among girls in Norway.
Birgit and Josephine over time
Birgit and Josephine appear together in 1 published list, across 44 years of shared records. Birgit held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Josephine 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.
Birgit reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Josephine 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
Birgit and Josephine were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 44 years, from 1951 to 2017, ending at #465 and #263.
List by list
Norway · Girls44 shared years, 1951–2017
Birgit held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Josephine in 6.
Highest recorded here: Birgit #80 in 1951, Josephine #263 in 2017.
The order changed in 2003: Josephine moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #490 and #621; by 2003 that had become #584 and #329.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Birgit #465, Josephine #263.
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 | Birgit | Josephine |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #465 (2017) | Norway · Girls #241 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Birgit has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Josephine.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Birgit
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #62 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2017
Highest recorded position: #62 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2017).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #465 among girls in Norway, in 2017.
Norway · Girls
Josephine
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #367 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #241 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls