Margaret vs Oddveig
Margaret and Oddveigcompared 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 1982, Margaret was ranked #428 and Oddveig #594 among girls in Norway.
Margaret and Oddveig over time
Margaret and Oddveig appear together in 1 published list, across 35 years of shared records. Oddveig held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Margaret in 0.
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.
Margaret reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Oddveig 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
Margaret and Oddveig changed places 15 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 1982, ending at #428 and #594.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 35 shared years in Norway · Girls, Margaret and Oddveig averaged 48.9 places apart, ending at #428 and #594.
- Longest-running competitions
Margaret and Oddveig were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 35 years, from 1945 to 1982, ending at #428 and #594.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Margaret #108 in 1953, Oddveig #114 in 1955.
List by list
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1945–1982
Margaret held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Oddveig in 18.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #108 in 1953, Oddveig #114 in 1955.
The order changed in 1973: Margaret moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #329 and #263; by 1973 that had become #295 and #351.
Most recent shared year, 1982: Margaret #428, Oddveig #594.
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 Margaret
Pairs where Margaret shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Margaret vs Pauline
In 1964 they stood at #3 and #12 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2018 they were #150 and #896.
Margaret · Pauline · 45 shared years, 1964–2018 · Started together, ended far apart
- Margaret vs Geraldine
In 1964 they stood at #3 and #9 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 6 places apart; by 2021 they were #190 and #883.
Margaret · Geraldine · 51 shared years, 1964–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
- Margaret vs Jacqueline
In 1964 they stood at #3 and #11 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2025 they were #135 and #718.
Margaret · Jacqueline · 49 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Margaret vs Patricia
In 1964 they stood at #3 and #10 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2025 they were #135 and #608.
Margaret · Patricia · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Margaret | Oddveig |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From Latin Margarita, from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl' — likely originally borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language. Associated with Saint Margaret, a 4th-century martyr and patron saint of expectant mothers. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹ.ɡɹɪt/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) | Norway · Girls #578 (1987) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Oddveig does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Oddveig.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Oddveig doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Margaret
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #173 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #413 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Oddveig
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #127 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1987
Highest recorded position: #114 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–1987).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1987
Most recently recorded at #578 among girls in Norway, in 1987.
Norway · Girls