Josephine vs Katja
Josephine and Katjacompared 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 2016, Josephine was ranked #253 and Katja #5785 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2017, Josephine was ranked #263 and Katja #496 among girls in Norway.
Josephine and Katja over time
Josephine and Katja appear together in 2 published lists, across 58 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.
Katja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Josephine 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
Josephine and Katja changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1968 and 2017, ending at #263 and #496.
- Longest-running competitions
Josephine and Katja were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1968 to 2017, ending at #263 and #496.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Josephine #168 in 1997, Katja #1666 in 1997.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1968–2017
Josephine held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Katja in 33.
Highest recorded here: Josephine #253 in 2016, Katja #229 in 1975.
The order changed in 2008: Josephine moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #429 and #405; by 2008 that had become #360 and #424.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Josephine #263, Katja #496.
England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1996–2016
Josephine held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Katja in 0.
Highest recorded here: Josephine #168 in 1997, Katja #1666 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Josephine #253, Katja #5785.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Josephine
Pairs where Josephine shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Anna vs Josephine
In 1964 they stood at #34 and #25 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2025 they were #26 and #483.
Anna · Josephine · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Carmel vs Josephine
In 1964 they stood at #21 and #25 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2015 they were #896 and #462.
Carmel · Josephine · 46 shared years, 1964–2015 · Started together, ended far apart
- Susan vs Josephine
In 1964 they stood at #22 and #25 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 3 places apart; by 2023 they were #856 and #445.
Susan · Josephine · 57 shared years, 1964–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
- Maria vs Josephine
In 1964 they stood at #33 and #25 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2025 they were #74 and #483.
Maria · Josephine · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Josephine | Katja |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #241 (2025) | Norway · Girls #496 (2017) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Josephine has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Katja.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Josephine
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #367 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #241 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Katja
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #515 among girls in Norway in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2017
Highest recorded position: #229 among girls in Norway, in 1975 (recorded 1967–2017).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #496 among girls in Norway, in 2017.
Norway · Girls