Marlen vs Tara
Marlen and Taracompared 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 2022, Marlen was ranked #454 and Tara #367 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2014, Marlen was ranked #5691 and Tara #535 among girls in England and Wales.
Marlen and Tara over time
Marlen and Tara appear together in 1 published list, across 36 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.
Marlen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Tara 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Marlen and Tara were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 36 years, from 1975 to 2022, ending at #454 and #367.
List by list
Norway · Girls36 shared years, 1975–2022
Marlen held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Tara in 18.
Highest recorded here: Marlen #193 in 1990, Tara #219 in 2006.
The order changed in 1997: Tara moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #272 and #366; by 1997 that had become #520 and #237.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Marlen #454, Tara #367.
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 | Marlen | Tara |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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 #454 (2022) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #166 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Marlen and Tara both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Marlen
Popularity journey
First recorded1963
First recorded at #472 among girls in Norway in 1963 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1963–2022
Highest recorded position: #193 among girls in Norway, in 1990 (recorded 1963–2022).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #454 among girls in Norway, in 2022.
Norway · Girls
Tara
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #327 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1983–2007
Highest recorded position: #20 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1985 (recorded 1983–2007).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #300 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls