Lena vs Lene
Lena and Lenecompared 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 2012, Lena was ranked #137 and Lene #5876 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2021, Lena was ranked #157 and Lene #482 among girls in Norway.
Lena and Lene over time
Lena and Lene appear together in 2 published lists, across 82 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Lena and Lene changed places 12 times in Norway · Girls between 1946 and 2021, ending at #157 and #482.
- Longest-running competitions
Lena and Lene were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 73 years, from 1946 to 2021, ending at #157 and #482.
List by list
Norway · Girls73 shared years, 1946–2021
Lena held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Lene in 45.
Highest recorded here: Lena #20 in 1969, Lene #4 in 1976.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Lena #157, Lene #482.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 2000–2012
Lena held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Lene in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lena #137 in 2012, Lene #1831 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Lena #137, Lene #5876.
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 | Lena | Lene |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈleː.na/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) | Norway · Girls #482 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Lene does not have one recorded yet.
- Lena and Lene both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Lene doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Lena
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #346 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: #20 among girls in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #294 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Lene
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #377 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2021
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Norway, in 1976 (recorded 1946–2021).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #482 among girls in Norway, in 2021.
Norway · Girls