Maja vs Sarah
Maja and Sarahcompared 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 Sarah #115 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Maja was ranked #247 and Sarah #66 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #253 and Sarah #75 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #425 and Sarah #130 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Maja was ranked #244 and Sarah #148 among girls in Scotland.
Maja and Sarah over time
Maja and Sarah appear together in 4 published lists, across 130 years of shared records. Sarah held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Maja in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Sarah reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Maja 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
Maja and Sarah changed places 18 times in Norway · Girls between 1960 and 2025, ending at #27 and #115.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 61 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maja and Sarah averaged 39.5 places apart, ending at #27 and #115.
- Longest-running competitions
Maja and Sarah were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1960 to 2025, ending at #27 and #115.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Maja #16 in 2009, Sarah #35 in 2007.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1960–2025
Maja held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Sarah in 20.
Highest recorded here: Maja #16 in 2009, Sarah #35 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maja #27, Sarah #115.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Maja held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sarah in 29.
Highest recorded here: Maja #128 in 2011, Sarah #18 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maja #425, Sarah #130.
Republic of Ireland · Girls22 shared years, 2003–2025
Maja held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sarah in 22.
Highest recorded here: Maja #54 in 2009, Sarah #1 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maja #247, Sarah #66.
Northern Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 2006–2024
Maja held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sarah in 18.
Highest recorded here: Maja #106 in 2011, Sarah #7 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maja #253, Sarah #75.
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 | Sarah |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Hebrew, meaning 'lady, princess, noblewoman'. In the Old Testament, Sarah's name was changed from Sarai by God, alongside Abraham's own name change (Genesis 17:15); she is regarded as matriarch of the Jewish people. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛɹ.ə/ | |
| 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, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #27 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #66 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sarah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Maja does not have one recorded yet.
- Maja and Sarah both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Sarah; 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
Sarah
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #86 among girls in New Zealand in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1958–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 1974 (recorded 1958–2019).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #115 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls