Idun vs Ruth
Idun and Ruthcompared 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, Idun was ranked #291 and Ruth #299 among girls in Norway.
Idun and Ruth over time
Idun and Ruth appear together in 1 published list, across 68 years of shared records. Ruth held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Idun 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.
Ruth reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Idun 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
Idun and Ruth changed places 11 times in Norway · Girls between 1947 and 2025, ending at #291 and #299.
- Longest-running competitions
Idun and Ruth were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 68 years, from 1947 to 2025, ending at #291 and #299.
List by list
Norway · Girls68 shared years, 1947–2025
Idun held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Ruth in 60.
Highest recorded here: Idun #220 in 2005, Ruth #40 in 1947.
The order changed in 2025: Idun moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #371 and #237; by 2025 that had become #291 and #299.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Idun #291, Ruth #299.
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 | Idun | Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly interpreted as '(female) friend' or 'companion', probably a contraction of Hebrew re'ut. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈruːθ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #291 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #247 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ruth has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Idun does not have one recorded yet.
- Idun has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ruth.
- A meaning is recorded for Ruth; Idun doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Idun
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #375 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–2025
Highest recorded position: #220 among girls in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1947–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #291 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Ruth
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #35 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 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #299 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls