Ellen vs Karen
Ellen and Karencompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2010, Ellen was ranked #65 and Karen #430 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Ellen was ranked #86 and Karen #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ellen was ranked #208 and Karen #442 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ellen was ranked #1028 and Karen #2440 among girls in England and Wales.
Ellen and Karen over time
Ellen and Karen appear together in 4 published lists, across 177 years of shared records. Ellen held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Karen in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Karen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Ellen 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
Ellen and Karen changed places 10 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #208 and #442.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 81 shared years in Norway · Girls, Ellen and Karen averaged 53.2 places apart, ending at #208 and #442.
- Longest-running competitions
Ellen and Karen were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #208 and #442.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ellen #63 in 1996, Karen #417 in 1996.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Ellen held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Karen in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #15 in 1955, Karen #57 in 1946.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellen #208, Karen #442.
Republic of Ireland · Girls56 shared years, 1964–2019
Ellen held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Karen in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #23 in 2002, Karen #5 in 1977.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Ellen #86, Karen #871.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2025
Ellen held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Karen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #63 in 1996, Karen #417 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellen #1028, Karen #2440.
Northern Ireland · Girls11 shared years, 1997–2010
Ellen held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Karen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #21 in 2000, Karen #133 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2010: Ellen #65, Karen #430.
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 | Karen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #166 (2025) | Norway · Girls #442 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ellen and Karen both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
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 #1028 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Karen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #70 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1986
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1963 (recorded 1952–1986).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls