Iben vs Selma
Iben 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, Iben was ranked #17 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2005, Iben was ranked #4798 and Selma #1082 among girls in England and Wales.
Iben and Selma over time
Iben and Selma appear together in 1 published list, across 38 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Iben in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Iben 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Iben and Selma changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1988 and 2025, ending at #17 and #11.
- Longest-running competitions
Iben and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 38 years, from 1988 to 2025, ending at #17 and #11.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Iben #7 in 2022, Selma #5 in 2024.
List by list
Norway · Girls38 shared years, 1988–2025
Iben held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Selma in 36.
Highest recorded here: Iben #7 in 2022, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Iben #17, 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 | Iben | 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 | Not yet recorded | |
| 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 #17 (2025) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Iben and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Iben
Popularity journey
First recorded1988
First recorded at #668 among girls in Norway in 1988 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1988–2025
Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Norway, in 2022 (recorded 1988–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #17 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