May vs Salma
May and Salmacompared 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, May was ranked #481 and Salma #416 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, May was ranked #718 and Salma #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #610 and Salma #722 among girls in England and Wales.
May and Salma over time
May and Salma appear together in 3 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. May held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Salma in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Salma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, May in 1. 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
May and Salma changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1953 and 2025, ending at #481 and #416.
- Longest-running competitions
May and Salma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 45 years, from 1953 to 2025, ending at #481 and #416.
List by list
Norway · Girls45 shared years, 1953–2025
May held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Salma in 19.
Highest recorded here: May #37 in 1953, Salma #233 in 2010.
The order changed in 2023: Salma moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #309 and #426; by 2023 that had become #422 and #372.
Most recent shared year, 2025: May #481, Salma #416.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
May held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Salma in 23.
Highest recorded here: May #325 in 2007, Salma #295 in 2003.
The order changed in 2020: May moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #737 and #670; by 2020 that had become #631 and #894.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #610, Salma #722.
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2001–2025
May held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Salma in 1.
Highest recorded here: May #262 in 2023, Salma #471 in 2017.
The order changed in 2025: Salma moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #342 and #631; by 2025 that had become #718 and #544.
Most recent shared year, 2025: May #718, Salma #544.
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 | May | Salma |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #481 (2025) | Norway · Girls #416 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- May has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Salma.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
May
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #43 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: #24 among girls in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #481 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Salma
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #433 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2025
Highest recorded position: #228 among girls in Norway, in 2017 (recorded 1953–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #416 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls