Ellen vs Wenche
Ellen and Wenchecompared 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 2008, Ellen was ranked #187 and Wenche #621 among girls in Norway.
Ellen and Wenche over time
Ellen and Wenche appear together in 1 published list, across 58 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
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, Ellen moved into the top 50 at #43 in 1974 as Wenche fell out of it to #54, having been #37 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1974, Ellen moved ahead of Wenche in Norway · Girls — #43 and #37 the year before became #43 and #54.
- Longest-running competitions
Ellen and Wenche were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 58 years, from 1945 to 2008, ending at #187 and #621.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Ellen #15 in 1955, Wenche #7 in 1955.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1945 they stood at #29 and #22 in Norway · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2008 they were #187 and #621.
List by list
Norway · Girls58 shared years, 1945–2008
Ellen held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Wenche in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ellen #15 in 1955, Wenche #7 in 1955.
The order changed in 1974: Ellen moved ahead. In 1973 they stood at #43 and #37; by 1974 that had become #43 and #54.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Ellen #187, Wenche #621.
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 | Wenche |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #166 (2025) | Norway · Girls #621 (2008) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ellen and Wenche both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Wenche
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #22 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2008
Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–2008).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #621 among girls in Norway, in 2008.
Norway · Girls