Grethe vs Salma
Grethe and Salmacompared 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 Salma #246 among girls in Norway.
Grethe and Salma over time
Grethe and Salma appear together in 1 published list, across 25 years of shared records. Grethe held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Salma 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 Salma 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 · Girls25 shared years, 1953–2012
Grethe held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Salma in 5.
Highest recorded here: Grethe #32 in 1953, Salma #246 in 2012.
The order changed in 2001: Salma moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #394 and #443; by 2001 that had become #492 and #341.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Grethe #576, Salma #246.
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 | Salma |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #576 (2012) | Norway · Girls #416 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Grethe and Salma both have 2 syllables.
- 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
Salma
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #433 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2025
Highest recorded position: #228 among girls in Norway, in 2017 (recorded 1953–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #416 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls