Donna vs Shah
Donna and Shahcompared 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, Donna was ranked #5891 and Shah #3695 among girls in England and Wales.
Donna and Shah over time
Donna and Shah appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Donna held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shah 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.
Donna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Shah 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
Donna and Shah changed places 9 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #5891 and #3695.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Donna held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Shah in 5.
Highest recorded here: Donna #441 in 1996, Shah #1439 in 2001.
The order changed in 2023: Shah moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #4634 and #5581; by 2023 that had become #5687 and #3218.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Donna #5891, Shah #3695.
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 | Donna | Shah |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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 | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #800 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Donna has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shah.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Donna
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #91 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1953–1982
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1964 (recorded 1953–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Shah
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2350 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: #427 among boys in England and Wales, in 1997 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3695 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls