Ma vs Sylvia
Ma and Sylviacompared 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 1996, Ma was ranked #532 and Sylvia #365 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2009, Ma was ranked #5556 and Sylvia #835 among girls in England and Wales.
Ma and Sylvia over time
Ma and Sylvia appear together in 1 published list, across 32 years of shared records. Sylvia held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ma in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Sylvia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ma 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
Ma and Sylvia changed places 8 times in Norway · Girls between 1962 and 1996, ending at #532 and #365.
- Longest-running competitions
Ma and Sylvia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 32 years, from 1962 to 1996, ending at #532 and #365.
List by list
Norway · Girls32 shared years, 1962–1996
Ma held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Sylvia in 24.
Highest recorded here: Ma #252 in 1985, Sylvia #134 in 1977.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1996: Ma #532, Sylvia #365.
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 | Ma | Sylvia |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5556 (2009) | Norway · Girls #529 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ma has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Sylvia.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
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
Sylvia
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #194 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2024
Highest recorded position: #111 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1972 (recorded 1964–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #529 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls