Malin vs Thea
Malin and Theacompared 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, Malin was ranked #167 and Thea #50 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Malin was ranked #3015 and Thea #66 among girls in England and Wales.
Malin and Thea over time
Malin and Thea appear together in 2 published lists, across 74 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.
Malin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Thea 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 2000, Thea moved ahead of Malin in Norway · Girls — #5 and #6 the year before became #7 and #4.
- Longest-running competitions
Malin and Thea were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 60 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #167 and #50.
List by list
Norway · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Malin held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Thea in 26.
Highest recorded here: Malin #3 in 1998, Thea #1 in 2006.
The order changed in 2000: Thea moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #5 and #6; by 2000 that had become #7 and #4.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Malin #167, Thea #50.
England and Wales · Girls14 shared years, 2002–2024
Malin held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thea in 14.
Highest recorded here: Malin #2120 in 2016, Thea #46 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Malin #3015, Thea #66.
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 | Malin | Thea |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of Dorothea, Theodora, Theresa and other similar-sounding Greek-rooted names. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek (via Germanic/Scandinavian transmission) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈteː.a/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #167 (2025) | Norway · Girls #50 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Thea has a recorded origin (Greek (via Germanic/Scandinavian transmission)); Malin does not have one recorded yet.
- Malin has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Thea.
- A meaning is recorded for Thea; Malin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Malin
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #530 among girls in Norway in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1998 (recorded 1966–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #167 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Thea
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #380 among girls in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1950–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1950–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls