Heidi vs Linda
Heidi and Lindacompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Heidi was ranked #48 and Linda #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1977, Heidi was ranked #72 and Linda #88 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1985, Heidi was ranked #100 and Linda #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Heidi was ranked #91 and Linda #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Heidi was ranked #130 and Linda #1892 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2024, Heidi was ranked #292 and Linda #376 among girls in Norway.
Heidi and Linda over time
Heidi and Linda appear together in 4 published lists, across 168 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Linda reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Heidi in 1. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Heidi and Linda changed places 10 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2024, ending at #292 and #376.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 79 shared years in Norway · Girls, Heidi and Linda averaged 44.7 places apart, ending at #292 and #376.
- Longest-running competitions
Heidi and Linda were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #130 and #1892.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Heidi #64 in 1973, Linda #28 in 1973.
List by list
Norway · Girls79 shared years, 1945–2024
Heidi held the stronger position in 53 of those years, Linda in 26.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #2 in 1965, Linda #1 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Heidi #292, Linda #376.
Republic of Ireland · Girls44 shared years, 1968–2025
Heidi held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Linda in 26.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #74 in 2019, Linda #13 in 1973.
The order changed in 2006: Heidi moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #370 and #317; by 2006 that had become #226 and #764.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Heidi #91, Linda #718.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Heidi held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Linda in 0.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #76 in 2016, Linda #638 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Heidi #130, Linda #1892.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 1971–1985
Heidi held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Linda in 15.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #64 in 1973, Linda #28 in 1973.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1985: Heidi #100, Linda #79.
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 | Heidi | Linda |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A German diminutive of Adelheid. Gained wide recognition through Johanna Spyri's 1880 children's novel Heidi, and its 1937 film adaptation starring Shirley Temple. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhaɪ̯.di/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #91 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Heidi has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid); Linda does not have one recorded yet.
- Heidi and Linda both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Heidi; Linda doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Heidi
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #188 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: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1965 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #130 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Linda
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #329 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Norway, in 1975 (recorded 1945–2024).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1892 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls