Ida vs Penny
Ida and Pennycompared 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 2024, Ida was ranked #337 and Penny #134 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ida was ranked #384 and Penny #138 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ida was ranked #885 and Penny #156 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ida was ranked #342 and Penny #232 among girls in England and Wales.
Ida and Penny over time
Ida and Penny appear together in 3 published lists, across 55 years of shared records. Penny held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ida in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Penny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Ida 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Ida and Penny were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #342 and #232.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ida #257 in 2021, Penny #166 in 2020.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Penny in 30.
Highest recorded here: Ida #257 in 2021, Penny #166 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #342, Penny #232.
Republic of Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 1973–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Penny in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ida #471 in 2017, Penny #82 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #885, Penny #156.
Northern Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2014–2024
Ida held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Penny in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ida #178 in 2023, Penny #67 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ida #337, Penny #134.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Ida
Pairs where Ida shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Ida vs Anna
Ida and Anna were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #23.
Ida · Anna · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Ida vs Astrid
Ida and Astrid were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #9.
Ida · Astrid · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Ida vs Elin
Ida and Elin were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #263.
Ida · Elin · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Ida vs Elisabeth
Ida and Elisabeth were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #171.
Ida · Elisabeth · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Ida | Penny |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈiːdɑ/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #156 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ida has a recorded origin (Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition); Penny does not have one recorded yet.
- Ida and Penny both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ida; Penny doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
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
Penny
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #508 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2009–2024
Highest recorded position: #67 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2022 (recorded 2009–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #232 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls