Ida vs Monica
Ida and Monicacompared 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 2017, Ida was ranked #13 and Monica #542 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ida was ranked #342 and Monica #1229 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ida was ranked #384 and Monica #790 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Ida was ranked #625 and Monica #727 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Ida and Monica over time
Ida and Monica appear together in 3 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Ida held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Monica in 1.
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.
Monica reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Ida 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
Ida and Monica changed places 7 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2023, ending at #625 and #727.
- Mirrored each other
Over 69 shared years in Norway · Girls, Ida rose about as far as Monica fell — from #203 and #315 in 1946 to #13 and #542 in 2017.
- Longest-running competitions
Ida and Monica were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #342 and #1229.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ida #325 in 1965, Monica #68 in 1965.
List by list
Norway · Girls69 shared years, 1946–2017
Ida held the stronger position in 44 of those years, Monica in 25.
Highest recorded here: Ida #1 in 1988, Monica #3 in 1971.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Ida #13, Monica #542.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Monica in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ida #257 in 2021, Monica #274 in 1997.
The order changed in 2011: Ida moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #878 and #730; by 2011 that had become #749 and #973.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #342, Monica #1229.
Republic of Ireland · Girls14 shared years, 1964–2023
Ida held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Monica in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ida #325 in 1965, Monica #68 in 1965.
The order changed in 2023: Ida moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #544 and #544; by 2023 that had become #625 and #727.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ida #625, Monica #727.
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 | Ida | Monica |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. | Precise meaning uncertain — most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin; since the Middle Ages popularly associated with Latin 'moneo' ('to advise') and Greek 'monos' ('one, single'). Borne by the 4th-century North African saint who was mother of Saint Augustine. |
| Origin | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition | Uncertain (Berber or Phoenician) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈiːdɑ/ | /ˈmoː.ni.kaː/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Monika, Mona |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #1229 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Ida is recorded with a Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition origin, while Monica is recorded with a Uncertain (Berber or Phoenician) origin.
- Ida has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Monica.
- Ida's recorded meaning differs from Monica's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
- The available evidence gives Ida a "medium" Data Confidence level and Monica a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Ida
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #204 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: #1 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #342 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Monica
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #315 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2017
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1946–2017).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1229 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls