Elma vs Grete
Elma and Gretecompared 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 2022, Elma was ranked #224 and Grete #484 among girls in Norway.
Elma and Grete over time
Elma and Grete appear together in 1 published list, across 11 years of shared records. Grete held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elma 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.
Grete reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Elma 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 · Girls11 shared years, 1981–2022
Elma held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Grete in 6.
Highest recorded here: Elma #224 in 2022, Grete #132 in 1981.
The order changed in 2010: Elma moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #504 and #372; by 2010 that had become #519 and #558.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Elma #224, Grete #484.
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 | Elma | Grete |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, IE, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #288 (2025) | Norway · Girls #484 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elma and Grete both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Elma
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #224 among girls in Norway, in 2022 (recorded 1981–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Grete
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #28 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2022
Highest recorded position: #18 among girls in Norway, in 1953 (recorded 1945–2022).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #484 among girls in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Girls