Janet vs Olive
Janet and Olivecompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Janet was ranked #3318 and Olive #53 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2018, Janet was ranked #896 and Olive #361 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Janet and Olive over time
Janet and Olive appear together in 2 published lists, across 69 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.
Janet reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Olive 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 Olive changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #3318 and #53.
- Longest-running competitions
Janet and Olive were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 40 years, from 1964 to 2018, ending at #896 and #361.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls40 shared years, 1964–2018
Janet held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Olive in 13.
Highest recorded here: Janet #86 in 1966, Olive #34 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Janet #896, Olive #361.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Janet held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Olive in 25.
Highest recorded here: Janet #1031 in 1996, Olive #53 in 2024.
The order changed in 2002: Olive moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1238 and #1520; by 2002 that had become #1192 and #1104.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Janet #3318, Olive #53.
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 | Olive |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #3318 (2024) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #68 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Janet has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Olive.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
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 recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3318 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Olive
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #72 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 recorded2010–2023
Highest recorded position: #21 among girls in New Zealand, in 2022 (recorded 2010–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #68 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls