Catherine vs Silja
Catherine and Siljacompared 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 2018, Catherine was ranked #509 and Silja #413 among girls in Norway.
Catherine and Silja over time
Catherine and Silja appear together in 1 published list, across 31 years of shared records. Catherine held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Silja 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.
Catherine reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Silja 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Catherine and Silja changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1967 and 2018, ending at #509 and #413.
- Longest-running competitions
Catherine and Silja were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 31 years, from 1967 to 2018, ending at #509 and #413.
List by list
Norway · Girls31 shared years, 1967–2018
Catherine held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Silja in 10.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #196 in 1972, Silja #183 in 1976.
The order changed in 1999: Silja moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #475 and #500; by 1999 that had become #546 and #333.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Catherine #509, Silja #413.
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 | Catherine | Silja |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #273 (2025) | Norway · Girls #527 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Catherine has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Silja.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Catherine
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #366 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #273 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Silja
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #473 among girls in Norway in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #183 among girls in Norway, in 1976 (recorded 1967–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #527 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls