Jenny vs Sara
Jenny and Saracompared 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, Jenny was ranked #29 and Sara #43 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Jenny was ranked #2006 and Sara #110 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Jenny was ranked #885 and Sara #127 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Jenny was ranked #424 and Sara #167 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Jenny and Sara over time
Jenny and Sara appear together in 4 published lists, across 177 years of shared records. Sara held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Jenny in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Jenny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Sara in 1. 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
Jenny and Sara changed places 12 times in Norway · Girls between 1947 and 2025, ending at #29 and #43.
- Longest-running competitions
Jenny and Sara were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #2006 and #110.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Jenny #13 in 2015, Sara #4 in 2013.
List by list
Norway · Girls74 shared years, 1947–2025
Jenny held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Sara in 52.
Highest recorded here: Jenny #13 in 2015, Sara #4 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jenny #29, Sara #43.
Republic of Ireland · Girls53 shared years, 1972–2025
Jenny held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sara in 53.
Highest recorded here: Jenny #184 in 1993, Sara #78 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jenny #885, Sara #127.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Jenny held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sara in 30.
Highest recorded here: Jenny #256 in 1996, Sara #82 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jenny #2006, Sara #110.
Northern Ireland · Girls20 shared years, 1997–2019
Jenny held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Sara in 17.
Highest recorded here: Jenny #119 in 1999, Sara #73 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Jenny #424, Sara #167.
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 | Jenny | Sara |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A variant spelling of Sarah, traditionally interpreted as 'lady', 'princess', or 'noblewoman'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛrə/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #29 (2025) | Norway · Girls #43 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sara has a recorded origin (Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages); Jenny does not have one recorded yet.
- Jenny and Sara both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Sara; Jenny doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Jenny
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #190 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: #13 among girls in Norway, in 2015 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2006 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sara
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #385 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: #4 among girls in Norway, in 2013 (recorded 1947–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #110 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls