Ida vs Sonja
Ida and Sonjacompared 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 Sonja #35 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, Ida was ranked #258 and Sonja #3899 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1975, Ida was ranked #406 and Sonja #321 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Ida and Sonja over time
Ida and Sonja appear together in 2 published lists, across 102 years of shared records. Ida held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Sonja in 0.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 Sonja changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #37 and #35.
- Mirrored each other
Over 21 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ida rose about as far as Sonja fell — from #3126 and #2096 in 1996 to #258 and #3899 in 2020.
- Longest-running competitions
Ida and Sonja were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #37 and #35.
List by list
Norway · Girls81 shared years, 1945–2025
Ida held the stronger position in 51 of those years, Sonja in 30.
Highest recorded here: Ida #1 in 1988, Sonja #35 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ida #37, Sonja #35.
England and Wales · Girls21 shared years, 1996–2020
Ida held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Sonja in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ida #258 in 2020, Sonja #1970 in 1999.
The order changed in 2000: Ida moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #2770 and #1970; by 2000 that had become #2167 and #3912.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Ida #258, Sonja #3899.
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 | Sonja |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| 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, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) | Norway · Girls #35 (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); Sonja does not have one recorded yet.
- Ida and Sonja both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ida; Sonja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Sonja
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #44 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: #35 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #35 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls