Lena vs Merethe
Lena and Merethecompared 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 2004, Lena was ranked #158 and Merethe #586 among girls in Norway.
Lena and Merethe over time
Lena and Merethe appear together in 1 published list, across 54 years of shared records. Lena held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Merethe in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Merethe reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lena 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
Lena and Merethe changed places 6 times in Norway · Girls between 1949 and 2004, ending at #158 and #586.
- Longest-running competitions
Lena and Merethe were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 54 years, from 1949 to 2004, ending at #158 and #586.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Lena #20 in 1969, Merethe #69 in 1968.
List by list
Norway · Girls54 shared years, 1949–2004
Lena held the stronger position in 49 of those years, Merethe in 5.
Highest recorded here: Lena #20 in 1969, Merethe #69 in 1968.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Lena #158, Merethe #586.
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 | Merethe |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) | Norway · Girls #586 (2004) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Merethe does not have one recorded yet.
- Lena has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Merethe.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Merethe doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Merethe
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #391 among girls in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1949–2004
Highest recorded position: #69 among girls in Norway, in 1968 (recorded 1949–2004).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2004
Most recently recorded at #586 among girls in Norway, in 2004.
Norway · Girls