Ester vs Margaret
Ester and Margaretcompared 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 2014, Ester was ranked #876 and Margaret #169 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2023, Ester was ranked #251 and Margaret #522 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ester was ranked #2115 and Margaret #493 among girls in England and Wales.
Ester and Margaret over time
Ester and Margaret appear together in 3 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Margaret held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ester in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Ester and Margaret changed places 16 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2023, ending at #251 and #522.
- Longest-running competitions
Ester and Margaret were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 52 years, from 1945 to 2023, ending at #251 and #522.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ester #1326 in 2022, Margaret #357 in 2020.
List by list
Norway · Girls52 shared years, 1945–2023
Ester held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Margaret in 30.
Highest recorded here: Ester #134 in 1947, Margaret #108 in 1953.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ester #251, Margaret #522.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ester held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Margaret in 28.
Highest recorded here: Ester #1326 in 2022, Margaret #357 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ester #2115, Margaret #493.
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 1964–2014
Ester held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Margaret in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ester #282 in 1965, Margaret #2 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Ester #876, Margaret #169.
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 | Ester | Margaret |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Latin Margarita, from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl' — likely originally borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language. Associated with Saint Margaret, a 4th-century martyr and patron saint of expectant mothers. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmɑɹ.ɡɹɪt/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #209 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Ester does not have one recorded yet.
- Ester has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Margaret.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Ester doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Ester
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #155 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: #134 among girls in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #209 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Margaret
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #173 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls