Lara vs Ma
Lara and Macompared 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 2009, Lara was ranked #120 and Ma #5556 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2005, Lara was ranked #266 and Ma #609 among girls in Norway.
Lara and Ma over time
Lara and Ma appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Ma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Lara 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.
Ma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lara 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
Lara and Ma changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1968 and 2005, ending at #266 and #609.
List by list
Norway · Girls13 shared years, 1968–2005
Lara held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Ma in 9.
Highest recorded here: Lara #266 in 2005, Ma #252 in 1985.
The order changed in 1995: Lara moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #525 and #412; by 1995 that had become #389 and #455.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Lara #266, Ma #609.
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 | Lara | Ma |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #102 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5556 (2009) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lara has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ma.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Lara
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #553 among girls in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1999–2023
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2002 (recorded 1999–2023).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #144 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Ma
Popularity journey
First recorded1962
First recorded at #462 among girls in Norway in 1962 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1962–2005
Highest recorded position: #252 among girls in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1962–2005).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #609 among girls in Norway, in 2005.
Norway · Girls