Hanne vs Selma
Hanne and Selmacompared 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 2025, Hanne was ranked #318 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2019, Hanne was ranked #5591 and Selma #2643 among girls in England and Wales.
Hanne and Selma over time
Hanne and Selma appear together in 1 published list, across 66 years of shared records. Hanne held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Selma 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.
Hanne reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Selma 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 Norway · Girls, Selma moved into the top 50 at #50 in 2002 as Hanne fell out of it to #53, having been #42 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2002, Selma moved ahead of Hanne in Norway · Girls — #42 and #55 the year before became #53 and #50.
- Mirrored each other
Over 66 shared years in Norway · Girls, Selma rose about as far as Hanne fell — from #123 and #352 in 1945 to #318 and #11 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Hanne and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 66 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #318 and #11.
List by list
Norway · Girls66 shared years, 1945–2025
Hanne held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Selma in 23.
Highest recorded here: Hanne #9 in 1987, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 2002: Selma moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #42 and #55; by 2002 that had become #53 and #50.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hanne #318, Selma #11.
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 | Hanne | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #318 (2025) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Hanne and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Hanne
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #123 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: #9 among girls in Norway, in 1987 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #318 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Selma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #352 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: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls