Hege vs Maria
Hege and Mariacompared 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, Hege was ranked #580 and Maria #16 among girls in Norway.
Hege and Maria over time
Hege and Maria appear together in 1 published list, across 65 years of shared records. Maria held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Hege in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Hege reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Maria 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 65 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maria rose about as far as Hege fell — from #304 and #126 in 1945 to #580 and #16 in 2012.
- Longest-running competitions
Hege and Maria were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 65 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #580 and #16.
List by list
Norway · Girls65 shared years, 1945–2012
Hege held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Maria in 46.
Highest recorded here: Hege #2 in 1970, Maria #3 in 1982.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Hege #580, Maria #16.
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 | Hege | Maria |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Latin form of Greek Maria, from Hebrew Miryam (see Mary). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Latin transmission |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /mɑ.ˈriː.ɑ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #580 (2012) | Norway · Girls #62 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Maria has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Latin transmission); Hege does not have one recorded yet.
- Hege and Maria both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Maria; Hege doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Hege
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #304 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: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1970 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #580 among girls in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Girls
Maria
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #126 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: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1982 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls