Fiona vs Vanja
Fiona and Vanjacompared 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 2019, Fiona was ranked #372 and Vanja #527 among girls in Norway.
Fiona and Vanja over time
Fiona and Vanja appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Vanja held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fiona 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.
Vanja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Fiona 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 · Girls24 shared years, 1963–2019
Fiona held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Vanja in 15.
Highest recorded here: Fiona #207 in 2015, Vanja #139 in 1972.
The order changed in 2008: Fiona moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #425 and #415; by 2008 that had become #274 and #580.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Fiona #372, Vanja #527.
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 | Fiona | Vanja |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | The feminine form of Fionn. Popularized by Scottish poet James Macpherson in his 1761 poem Fingal, where it was spelled 'Fióna'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Scottish, feminine of Fionn | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /fi.ˈoʊ.nə/ | 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 #325 (2025) | Norway · Girls #527 (2019) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fiona has a recorded origin (Scottish, feminine of Fionn); Vanja does not have one recorded yet.
- Fiona and Vanja both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Fiona; Vanja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Fiona
Popularity journey
First recorded1955
First recorded at #87 among girls in New Zealand in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1971 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #399 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Vanja
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #439 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2019
Highest recorded position: #139 among girls in Norway, in 1972 (recorded 1953–2019).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #527 among girls in Norway, in 2019.
Norway · Girls