Margaret vs Wanja
Margaret and Wanjacompared 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 1985, Margaret was ranked #617 and Wanja #590 among girls in Norway.
Margaret and Wanja over time
Margaret and Wanja appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Margaret held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Wanja 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 Wanja 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls21 shared years, 1956–1985
Margaret held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Wanja in 3.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #122 in 1956, Wanja #309 in 1976.
The order changed in 1985: Wanja moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #428 and #674; by 1985 that had become #617 and #590.
Most recent shared year, 1985: Margaret #617, Wanja #590.
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 | Margaret | Wanja |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #642 (2000) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Wanja does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Wanja.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Wanja 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
Wanja
Popularity journey
First recorded1956
First recorded at #458 among girls in Norway in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2000
Highest recorded position: #309 among girls in Norway, in 1976 (recorded 1956–2000).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2000
Most recently recorded at #642 among girls in Norway, in 2000.
Norway · Girls