Elinor vs Merete
Elinor and Meretecompared 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 2004, Elinor was ranked #445 and Merete #538 among girls in Norway.
Elinor and Merete over time
Elinor and Merete appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Merete held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elinor 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.
Elinor reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Merete 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls26 shared years, 1945–2004
Elinor held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Merete in 24.
Highest recorded here: Elinor #243 in 1945, Merete #36 in 1965.
The order changed in 2004: Elinor moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #504 and #403; by 2004 that had become #445 and #538.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Elinor #445, Merete #538.
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 | Elinor | Merete |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #316 (2025) | Norway · Girls #514 (2005) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elinor and Merete both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Elinor
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #243 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #243 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #316 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Merete
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #241 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2005
Highest recorded position: #33 among girls in Norway, in 1967 (recorded 1945–2005).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #514 among girls in Norway, in 2005.
Norway · Girls