Margaret vs Ulla
Margaret and Ullacompared 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 2023, Margaret was ranked #522 and Ulla #300 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Margaret was ranked #490 and Ulla #5687 among girls in England and Wales.
Margaret and Ulla over time
Margaret and Ulla appear together in 1 published list, across 42 years of shared records. Margaret held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ulla 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 Ulla 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 Ulla changed places 15 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2023, ending at #522 and #300.
- Longest-running competitions
Margaret and Ulla were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1945 to 2023, ending at #522 and #300.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1945–2023
Margaret held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Ulla in 9.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #108 in 1953, Ulla #166 in 1959.
The order changed in 2023: Ulla moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #455 and #466; by 2023 that had become #522 and #300.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Margaret #522, Ulla #300.
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 | Ulla |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) | Norway · Girls #386 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Ulla does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Ulla.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Ulla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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 #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Ulla
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #217 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: #166 among girls in Norway, in 1959 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #386 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls