Grete vs Nicole
Grete and Nicolecompared 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, Grete was ranked #484 and Nicole #456 among girls in Norway.
Grete and Nicole over time
Grete and Nicole appear together in 1 published list, across 40 years of shared records. Grete held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Nicole 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 Nicole 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Grete and Nicole were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 40 years, from 1969 to 2022, ending at #484 and #456.
List by list
Norway · Girls40 shared years, 1969–2022
Grete held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Nicole in 16.
Highest recorded here: Grete #55 in 1969, Nicole #205 in 2003.
The order changed in 2000: Nicole moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #372 and #411; by 2000 that had become #596 and #303.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Grete #484, Nicole #456.
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 | Grete | Nicole |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The French feminine form of Nicholas, from the Greek elements 'nike' (victory) and 'laos' (people). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek, via French transmission |
| Pronunciation | /nɪ.ˈkoʊl/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| 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 #484 (2022) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #381 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Nicole has a recorded origin (Greek, via French transmission); Grete does not have one recorded yet.
- Grete has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Nicole.
- A meaning is recorded for Nicole; Grete doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
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
Nicole
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #91 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2002
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2002).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #448 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls