Imelda vs Marian
Imelda and Mariancompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1998, Imelda was ranked #498 and Marian #498 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Imelda was ranked #2115 and Marian #4843 among girls in England and Wales.
Imelda and Marian over time
Imelda and Marian appear together in 2 published lists, across 54 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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
Imelda and Marian changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #2115 and #4843.
- Longest-running competitions
Imelda and Marian were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 35 years, from 1964 to 1998, ending at #498 and #498.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls35 shared years, 1964–1998
Imelda held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Marian in 30.
Highest recorded here: Imelda #80 in 1965, Marian #57 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1998: Imelda #498, Marian #498.
England and Wales · Girls19 shared years, 1997–2024
Imelda held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Marian in 9.
Highest recorded here: Imelda #1562 in 2019, Marian #1287 in 1997.
The order changed in 2023: Imelda moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #3533 and #2888; by 2023 that had become #1959 and #4056.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Imelda #2115, Marian #4843.
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 | Imelda | Marian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2115 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #4843 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Imelda has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Marian.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Imelda
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #87 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1998
Highest recorded position: #80 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–1998).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2115 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Marian
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #382 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2013
Highest recorded position: #57 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1964–2013).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls