Irena vs Kari
Irena and Karicompared 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 1990, Irena was ranked #656 and Kari #125 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Irena was ranked #2673 and Kari #5669 among girls in England and Wales.
Irena and Kari over time
Irena and Kari appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 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.
Kari reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Irena 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
Irena and Kari changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 2000 and 2022, ending at #2673 and #5669.
- Longest-running competitions
Irena and Kari were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 40 years, from 1947 to 1990, ending at #656 and #125.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Irena #2416 in 2000, Kari #2167 in 2000.
List by list
Norway · Girls40 shared years, 1947–1990
Irena held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Kari in 40.
Highest recorded here: Irena #256 in 1952, Kari #3 in 1947.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Irena #656, Kari #125.
England and Wales · Girls12 shared years, 2000–2022
Irena held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Kari in 5.
Highest recorded here: Irena #2416 in 2000, Kari #2167 in 2000.
The order changed in 2022: Irena moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #5591 and #4686; by 2022 that had become #2673 and #5669.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Irena #2673, Kari #5669.
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 | Irena | Kari |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| 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, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2689 (2023) | Norway · Girls #222 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Irena has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Kari.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Irena
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #352 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–1990
Highest recorded position: #256 among girls in Norway, in 1952 (recorded 1947–1990).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #2689 among girls in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Girls
Kari
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #4 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: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1946 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #222 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls