Grethe vs Helene
Grethe and Helenecompared 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 2012, Grethe was ranked #576 and Helene #66 among girls in Norway.
Grethe and Helene over time
Grethe and Helene appear together in 1 published list, across 60 years of shared records. Helene held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Grethe 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.
Grethe reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Helene 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1973, Helene moved ahead of Grethe in Norway · Girls — #72 and #95 the year before became #84 and #81.
- Longest-running competitions
Grethe and Helene were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 60 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #576 and #66.
List by list
Norway · Girls60 shared years, 1945–2012
Grethe held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Helene in 32.
Highest recorded here: Grethe #13 in 1957, Helene #7 in 1995.
The order changed in 1973: Helene moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #72 and #95; by 1973 that had become #84 and #81.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Grethe #576, Helene #66.
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 | Grethe | Helene |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #576 (2012) | Norway · Girls #101 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Grethe has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Helene.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Grethe
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #21 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: #13 among girls in Norway, in 1957 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #576 among girls in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Girls
Helene
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #110 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: #7 among girls in Norway, in 1995 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #101 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls