Elsie vs Hege
Elsie and Hegecompared 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 1971, Elsie was ranked #475 and Hege #2 among girls in Norway.
Elsie and Hege over time
Elsie and Hege appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Hege held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Elsie 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.
Elsie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Hege 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 · Girls15 shared years, 1945–1971
Elsie held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Hege in 14.
Highest recorded here: Elsie #256 in 1947, Hege #2 in 1971.
The order changed in 1946: Hege moved ahead. In 1945 they stood at #301 and #304; by 1946 that had become #346 and #211.
Most recent shared year, 1971: Elsie #475, Hege #2.
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 | Elsie | Hege |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Shares the root meaning of Elizabeth: 'my God is an oath', inherited via the Scots form Elspeth. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Scottish, via Elizabeth | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛlsi/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Elspeth | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #8 (2025) | Norway · Girls #580 (2012) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Elsie has a recorded origin (Scottish, via Elizabeth); Hege does not have one recorded yet.
- Elsie and Hege both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Elsie; Hege doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Elsie a "high" Data Confidence level and Hege a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Elsie
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #301 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #8 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Hege
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #304 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2012
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1970 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #580 among girls in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Girls