Elizabeth vs Ester
Elizabeth and Estercompared 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, Elizabeth was ranked #62 and Ester #2115 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2014, Elizabeth was ranked #72 and Ester #876 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2024, Elizabeth was ranked #484 and Ester #253 among girls in Norway.
Elizabeth and Ester over time
Elizabeth and Ester appear together in 3 published lists, across 112 years of shared records. Elizabeth held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ester in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Elizabeth reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Ester in 1. 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
Elizabeth and Ester changed places 16 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2024, ending at #484 and #253.
- Longest-running competitions
Elizabeth and Ester were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 75 years, from 1945 to 2024, ending at #484 and #253.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2024
Elizabeth held the stronger position in 45 of those years, Ester in 30.
Highest recorded here: Elizabeth #154 in 1968, Ester #134 in 1947.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elizabeth #484, Ester #253.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Elizabeth held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Ester in 0.
Highest recorded here: Elizabeth #30 in 1997, Ester #1326 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elizabeth #62, Ester #2115.
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 1964–2014
Elizabeth held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Ester in 0.
Highest recorded here: Elizabeth #6 in 1964, Ester #282 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Elizabeth #72, Ester #876.
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 | Elizabeth | Ester |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From the Greek Elisabet, from Hebrew Elisheva, combining 'el' (God) with 'shava' ('oath') — 'my God is an oath'. Appears in the Old Testament as Elisheba, Aaron's wife, and in the New Testament as the mother of John the Baptist. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ɪ.ˈlɪz.ə.bəθ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #76 (2025) | Norway · Girls #209 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elizabeth has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Ester does not have one recorded yet.
- Elizabeth has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Ester.
- A meaning is recorded for Elizabeth; Ester doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elizabeth
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #341 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: #5 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1969 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #83 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Ester
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #155 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: #134 among girls in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #209 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls