Ellen vs Helene
Ellen and Helenecompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1991, Ellen was ranked #64 and Helene #515 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ellen was ranked #208 and Helene #101 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2018, Ellen was ranked #458 and Helene #4684 among girls in England and Wales.
Ellen and Helene over time
Ellen and Helene appear together in 3 published lists, across 110 years of shared records. Ellen held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Helene in 1.
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.
Ellen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Helene 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Norway · Girls, Helene moved into the top 50 at #48 in 1980 as Ellen fell out of it to #53, having been #50 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1980, Helene moved ahead of Ellen in Norway · Girls — #50 and #56 the year before became #53 and #48.
- Longest-running competitions
Ellen and Helene were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #208 and #101.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ellen #63 in 1996, Helene #1168 in 1996.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Ellen held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Helene in 46.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #15 in 1955, Helene #7 in 1995.
The order changed in 1980: Helene moved ahead. In 1979 they stood at #50 and #56; by 1980 that had become #53 and #48.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellen #208, Helene #101.
England and Wales · Girls21 shared years, 1996–2018
Ellen held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Helene in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #63 in 1996, Helene #1168 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Ellen #458, Helene #4684.
Republic of Ireland · Girls8 shared years, 1964–1991
Ellen held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Helene in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #27 in 1964, Helene #265 in 1969.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1991: Ellen #64, Helene #515.
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 | Ellen | Helene |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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 #166 (2025) | Norway · Girls #101 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ellen has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Helene.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Ellen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #29 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: #15 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #208 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Helene
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #110 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: #7 among girls in Norway, in 1995 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #101 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls