Maja vs Nora
Maja and Noracompared 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, Maja was ranked #27 and Nora #3 among girls in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #253 and Nora #44 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #244 and Nora #72 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Maja was ranked #247 and Nora #76 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #425 and Nora #86 among girls in England and Wales.
Maja and Nora over time
Maja and Nora appear together in 4 published lists, across 127 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Maja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Nora 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2018, Nora moved ahead of Maja in Northern Ireland · Girls — #164 and #190 the year before became #238 and #151.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Maja and Nora changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #425 and #86.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 61 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maja and Nora averaged 54.2 places apart, ending at #27 and #3.
- Longest-running competitions
Maja and Nora were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1960 to 2025, ending at #27 and #3.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1960–2025
Maja held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Nora in 46.
Highest recorded here: Maja #16 in 2009, Nora #1 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maja #27, Nora #3.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Maja held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Nora in 15.
Highest recorded here: Maja #128 in 2011, Nora #86 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maja #425, Nora #86.
Republic of Ireland · Girls22 shared years, 2003–2025
Maja held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Nora in 9.
Highest recorded here: Maja #54 in 2009, Nora #76 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maja #247, Nora #76.
Northern Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2007–2024
Maja held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Nora in 6.
Highest recorded here: Maja #106 in 2011, Nora #44 in 2024.
The order changed in 2018: Nora moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #164 and #190; by 2018 that had become #238 and #151.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maja #253, Nora #44.
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 | Maja | Nora |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of the names Honora (linked to Latin 'honor') or Eleanor — not an independently rooted name; Behind the Name does not specify which is the 'true' source for any given historical bearer. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɔrə/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #27 (2025) | Norway · Girls #3 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Nora has a recorded origin (English/Irish, short form of Honora or Eleanor); Maja does not have one recorded yet.
- Maja and Nora both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Nora; Maja 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
Maja
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #444 among girls in Norway in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1960–2025
Highest recorded position: #16 among girls in Norway, in 2009 (recorded 1960–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #27 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Nora
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #219 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: #1 among girls in Norway, in 2014 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls