Cecilie vs Sara
Cecilie and Saracompared 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 2024, Cecilie was ranked #452 and Sara #23 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Cecilie was ranked #3705 and Sara #110 among girls in England and Wales.
Cecilie and Sara over time
Cecilie and Sara appear together in 2 published lists, across 88 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Cecilie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Sara 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1990, Sara moved ahead of Cecilie in Norway · Girls — #34 and #43 the year before became #40 and #36.
- Mirrored each other
Over 73 shared years in Norway · Girls, Sara rose about as far as Cecilie fell — from #264 and #385 in 1947 to #452 and #23 in 2024.
- Longest-running competitions
Cecilie and Sara were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 73 years, from 1947 to 2024, ending at #452 and #23.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cecilie #2504 in 2023, Sara #97 in 2024.
List by list
Norway · Girls73 shared years, 1947–2024
Cecilie held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Sara in 35.
Highest recorded here: Cecilie #17 in 1975, Sara #4 in 2013.
The order changed in 1990: Sara moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #34 and #43; by 1990 that had become #40 and #36.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cecilie #452, Sara #23.
England and Wales · Girls15 shared years, 1997–2025
Cecilie held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sara in 15.
Highest recorded here: Cecilie #2504 in 2023, Sara #97 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cecilie #3705, Sara #110.
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 | Cecilie | Sara |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A variant spelling of Sarah, traditionally interpreted as 'lady', 'princess', or 'noblewoman'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛrə/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #3705 (2025) | Norway · Girls #43 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sara has a recorded origin (Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages); Cecilie does not have one recorded yet.
- Cecilie has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Sara.
- A meaning is recorded for Sara; Cecilie doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Cecilie
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #359 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #17 among girls in Norway, in 1975 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3705 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sara
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #385 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Norway, in 2013 (recorded 1947–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #110 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls