Hannah vs Thea
Hannah and Theacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Hannah was ranked #21 and Thea #207 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Hannah was ranked #116 and Thea #50 among girls in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2023, Hannah was ranked #54 and Thea #95 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Hannah was ranked #57 and Thea #75 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Hannah was ranked #66 and Thea #65 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Hannah was ranked #107 and Thea #66 among girls in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Hannah was ranked #77 and Thea #70 among girls in New Zealand.
Hannah and Thea over time
Hannah and Thea appear together in 5 published lists, across 138 years of shared records. Hannah held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Thea in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Hannah reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Thea 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 took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Girls, Thea moved into the top 50 at #31 in 2019 as Hannah fell out of it to #53, having been #36 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2016, Thea moved ahead of Hannah in England and Wales · Girls — #55 and #58 the year before became #57 and #49.
- Longest-running competitions
Hannah and Thea were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 49 years, from 1976 to 2025, ending at #116 and #50.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Hannah #25 in 2005, Thea #1 in 2006.
List by list
Norway · Girls49 shared years, 1976–2025
Hannah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thea in 49.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #25 in 2005, Thea #1 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hannah #116, Thea #50.
Republic of Ireland · Girls31 shared years, 1993–2025
Hannah held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Thea in 0.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #5 in 2019, Thea #136 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hannah #21, Thea #207.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Hannah held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Thea in 9.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #6 in 1996, Thea #46 in 2019.
The order changed in 2016: Thea moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #55 and #58; by 2016 that had become #57 and #49.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Hannah #107, Thea #66.
Northern Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 2004–2024
Hannah held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Thea in 0.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #6 in 2005, Thea #40 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Hannah #57, Thea #75.
New Zealand · Girls10 shared years, 2014–2023
Hannah held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Thea in 6.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #21 in 2014, Thea #31 in 2019.
The order changed in 2019: Thea moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #36 and #37; by 2019 that had become #53 and #31.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Hannah #77, Thea #70.
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 | Hannah | Thea |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'favour' or 'grace', referring to graciousness. | A short form of Dorothea, Theodora, Theresa and other similar-sounding Greek-rooted names. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Greek (via Germanic/Scandinavian transmission) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhænə/ | /ˈteː.a/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #21 (2025) | Norway · Girls #50 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Hannah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Thea is recorded with a Greek (via Germanic/Scandinavian transmission) origin.
- Hannah has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Thea.
- Hannah's recorded meaning differs from Thea's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Hannah
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #91 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2023
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New Zealand, in 1996 (recorded 1978–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #73 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Thea
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #380 among girls in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1950–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1950–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls