Namewise

Grethe vs Lena

Grethe and Lenacompared 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 Lena #118 among girls in Norway.

Grethe and Lena over time

Grethe and Lena appear together in 1 published list, across 60 years of shared records. Lena 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 Lena 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.

List by list

  • Norway · Girls60 shared years, 1945–2012

    Grethe held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Lena in 36.

    Highest recorded here: Grethe #13 in 1957, Lena #20 in 1969.

    The order changed in 1969: Lena moved ahead. In 1968 they stood at #44 and #67; by 1969 that had become #57 and #20.

    Most recent shared year, 2012: Grethe #576, Lena #118.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Grethe

Pairs where Grethe shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Lena

Pairs where Lena shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — one took the other's place near the top.

All one took the other's place near the top→

Other pairs from Norway lists

Pairs measured inside Norway's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

Norway overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 2010s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2010 and 2019.

The 2010s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Grethe, Lena
FieldGretheLena
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Editorially researched profile
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedA short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently.
OriginNot yet recordedUsed across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions
Pronunciation/ˈleː.na/
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageNOGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Girls #576 (2012)Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recorded90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)40/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Grethe does not have one recorded yet.
  • Grethe and Lena both have 2 syllables.
  • A meaning is recorded for Lena; Grethe doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in NO.

How each name got here

Grethe

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1945–2012

    Highest recorded position: #13 among girls in Norway, in 1957 (recorded 1945–2012).

    Norway · Girls

  3. Most recent2012

    Most recently recorded at #576 among girls in Norway, in 2012.

    Norway · Girls

Lena

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #346 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #20 among girls in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls