Denise vs Fenella
Denise and Fenellacompared 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, Denise was ranked #4843 and Fenella #2771 among girls in England and Wales.
Denise and Fenella over time
Denise and Fenella appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Fenella held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Denise in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Fenella reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Denise 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
Denise and Fenella changed places 16 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #4843 and #2771.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Denise #664 in 1998, Fenella #848 in 1996.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Denise held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Fenella in 14.
Highest recorded here: Denise #664 in 1998, Fenella #848 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denise #4843, Fenella #2771.
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 | Denise | Fenella |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #4843 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #2771 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Denise and Fenella both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Denise
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #24 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1969
Highest recorded position: #22 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1953 (recorded 1952–1969).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Fenella
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #848 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: #848 among girls in England and Wales, in 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2771 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls