Janet vs May-Liss
Janet and May-Lisscompared 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 1985, Janet was ranked #565 and May-Liss #491 among girls in Norway.
Janet and May-Liss over time
Janet and May-Liss appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Janet held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, May-Liss 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.
May-Liss reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Janet 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
Janet and May-Liss changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1947 and 1985, ending at #565 and #491.
List by list
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1947–1985
Janet held the stronger position in 24 of those years, May-Liss in 5.
Highest recorded here: Janet #239 in 1958, May-Liss #275 in 1953.
The order changed in 1985: May-Liss moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #505 and #612; by 1985 that had become #565 and #491.
Most recent shared year, 1985: Janet #565, May-Liss #491.
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 | Janet | May-Liss |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #4867 (2025) | Norway · Girls #619 (1986) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Janet and May-Liss both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Janet
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #308 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1966
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1966).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4867 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
May-Liss
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #356 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–1986
Highest recorded position: #275 among girls in Norway, in 1953 (recorded 1947–1986).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1986
Most recently recorded at #619 among girls in Norway, in 1986.
Norway · Girls