Eileen vs Josephine
Eileen 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 2025, Eileen was ranked #501 and Josephine #241 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Eileen was ranked #816 and Josephine #256 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Eileen was ranked #638 and Josephine #295 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2013, Eileen was ranked #440 and Josephine #440 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Eileen was ranked #443 and Josephine #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Eileen and Josephine over time
Eileen and Josephine appear together in 3 published lists, across 148 years of shared records. Eileen held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Josephine in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Eileen and Josephine changed places 16 times in Norway · Girls between 1951 and 2025, ending at #501 and #241.
- Longest-running competitions
Eileen and Josephine were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #816 and #256.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Eileen #17 in 1964, Josephine #25 in 1964.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Eileen held the stronger position in 53 of those years, Josephine in 4.
Highest recorded here: Eileen #17 in 1964, Josephine #25 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eileen #443, Josephine #483.
Norway · Girls56 shared years, 1951–2025
Eileen held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Josephine in 21.
Highest recorded here: Eileen #224 in 1972, Josephine #238 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eileen #501, Josephine #241.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Eileen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Josephine in 30.
Highest recorded here: Eileen #816 in 2025, Josephine #168 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eileen #816, Josephine #256.
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 | Eileen | 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 | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #443 (2025) | 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) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Eileen has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Josephine.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Eileen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #324 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #816 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · 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 #256 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls