Namewise

My vs Paula

My and Paulacompared 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 2024, My was ranked #470 and Paula #507 among girls in Norway.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, My was ranked #4843 and Paula #1491 among girls in England and Wales.

My and Paula over time

My and Paula appear together in 2 published lists, across 61 years of shared records. Paula held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, My 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.

Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.

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

    My and Paula changed places 17 times in Norway · Girls between 1953 and 2024, ending at #470 and #507.

  • Longest-running competitions

    My and Paula were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 51 years, from 1953 to 2024, ending at #470 and #507.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — My #2770 in 1999, Paula #765 in 2001.

List by list

  • Norway · Girls51 shared years, 19532024

    My held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Paula in 39.

    Highest recorded here: My #329 in 1994, Paula #249 in 1956.

    The order changed in 2024: My moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #525 and #394; by 2024 that had become #470 and #507.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: My #470, Paula #507.

  • England and Wales · Girls10 shared years, 19992024

    My held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Paula in 10.

    Highest recorded here: My #2770 in 1999, Paula #765 in 2001.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: My #4843, Paula #1491.

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

Side-by-side comparison of My, Paula
FieldMyPaula
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recorded
Syllables12
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, NOAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Girls #470 (2024)Norway · Girls #521 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10094/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)60/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • My has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Paula.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.

How each name got here

My

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1953

    First recorded at #429 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1953–2024

    Highest recorded position: #329 among girls in Norway, in 1994 (recorded 1953–2024).

    Norway · Girls

  3. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Girls

Paula

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #264 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1954–1984

    Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 1970 (recorded 1954–1984).

    New Zealand · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #521 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls