Ida vs Nora
Ida and Noracompared 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, Ida was ranked #37 and Nora #3 among girls in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ida was ranked #337 and Nora #44 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ida was ranked #384 and Nora #72 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ida was ranked #885 and Nora #76 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ida was ranked #337 and Nora #86 among girls in England and Wales.
Ida and Nora over time
Ida and Nora appear together in 4 published lists, across 140 years of shared records. Nora held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ida in 1.
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.
Ida reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Nora 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2009, Nora moved ahead of Ida in Norway · Girls — #3 and #5 the year before became #3 and #2.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ida and Nora changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #37 and #3.
- Longest-running competitions
Ida and Nora were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #3.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ida #325 in 1965, Nora #22 in 1965.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Nora in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ida #1 in 1988, Nora #1 in 2014.
The order changed in 2009: Nora moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #3 and #5; by 2009 that had become #3 and #2.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #37, Nora #3.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ida held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Nora in 27.
Highest recorded here: Ida #257 in 2021, Nora #86 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ida #337, Nora #86.
Republic of Ireland · Girls21 shared years, 1964–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nora in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ida #325 in 1965, Nora #22 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #885, Nora #76.
Northern Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2014–2024
Ida held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nora in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ida #178 in 2023, Nora #44 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ida #337, Nora #44.
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 | Nora |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. | A short form of the names Honora (linked to Latin 'honor') or Eleanor — not an independently rooted name; Behind the Name does not specify which is the 'true' source for any given historical bearer. |
| Origin | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition | English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor |
| Pronunciation | /ˈiːdɑ/ | /ˈnɔrə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) | Norway · Girls #3 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ida is recorded with a Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition origin, while Nora is recorded with a English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor origin.
- Ida and Nora both have 2 syllables.
- Ida's recorded meaning differs from Nora's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
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 #37 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Nora
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #219 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 2014 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls