Lena vs Nelly
Lena and Nellycompared 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, Lena was ranked #294 and Nelly #194 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Lena was ranked #207 and Nelly #476 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2022, Lena was ranked #218 and Nelly #418 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Lena was ranked #266 and Nelly #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Lena was ranked #288 and Nelly #353 among girls in England and Wales.
Lena and Nelly over time
Lena and Nelly appear together in 3 published lists, across 105 years of shared records. Lena held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Nelly in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Lena reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Nelly 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 Nelly changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #294 and #194.
- Longest-running competitions
Lena and Nelly were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #294 and #194.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1945–2025
Lena held the stronger position in 49 of those years, Nelly in 12.
Highest recorded here: Lena #29 in 1980, Nelly #132 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lena #294, Nelly #194.
England and Wales · Girls25 shared years, 2001–2025
Lena held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Nelly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lena #128 in 2013, Nelly #232 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lena #288, Nelly #353.
Republic of Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 2007–2025
Lena held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Nelly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lena #71 in 2012, Nelly #474 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lena #266, Nelly #608.
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 Lena
Pairs where Lena shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Anna vs Lena
Anna and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #23 and #294.
Anna · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Anne vs Lena
Anne and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #159 and #294.
Anne · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Astrid vs Lena
Astrid and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #9 and #294.
Astrid · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
- Elisabeth vs Lena
Elisabeth and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #171 and #294.
Elisabeth · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
Side by side
| Field | Lena | Nelly |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #266 (2025) | Norway · Girls #194 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lena has a recorded origin (Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions); Nelly does not have one recorded yet.
- Lena and Nelly both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lena; Nelly doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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 #288 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Nelly
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #206 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: #132 among girls in Norway, in 2019 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #353 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls