May vs Serena
May and Serenacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, May was ranked #718 and Serena #304 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #610 and Serena #305 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2015, May was ranked #426 and Serena #312 among girls in Northern Ireland.
May and Serena over time
May and Serena appear together in 2 published lists, across 63 years of shared records. Serena held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, May 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.
Serena reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and May 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
May and Serena changed places 9 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1967 and 2025, ending at #718 and #304.
- Longest-running competitions
May and Serena were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 34 years, from 1967 to 2025, ending at #718 and #304.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls34 shared years, 1967–2025
May held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Serena in 22.
Highest recorded here: May #262 in 2023, Serena #171 in 1982.
The order changed in 2025: Serena moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #342 and #736; by 2025 that had become #718 and #304.
Most recent shared year, 2025: May #718, Serena #304.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
May held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Serena in 27.
Highest recorded here: May #325 in 2007, Serena #250 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #610, Serena #305.
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 | Serena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #481 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #304 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- May has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Serena.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
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
Serena
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #297 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2022
Highest recorded position: #159 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2005 (recorded 1997–2022).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #304 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls