Fanny vs Molly
Fanny and Mollycompared 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 2025, Fanny was ranked #468 and Molly #217 among girls in Norway.
Fanny and Molly over time
Fanny and Molly appear together in 1 published list, across 20 years of shared records. Molly held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fanny 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.
Fanny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Molly 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 20 shared years in Norway · Girls, Molly rose about as far as Fanny fell — from #309 and #606 in 2003 to #468 and #217 in 2025.
List by list
Norway · Girls20 shared years, 2003–2025
Fanny held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Molly in 16.
Highest recorded here: Fanny #260 in 2004, Molly #167 in 2011.
The order changed in 2008: Molly moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #323 and #409; by 2008 that had become #381 and #346.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fanny #468, Molly #217.
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 | Fanny | Molly |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #468 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #20 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fanny and Molly both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Fanny
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #348 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #194 among girls in Norway, in 2000 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #468 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Molly
Popularity journey
First recorded1989
First recorded at #408 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1989 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in England and Wales, in 2001 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #217 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls