Paula vs Torunn
Paula and Torunncompared 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 2008, Paula was ranked #332 and Torunn #619 among girls in Norway.
Paula and Torunn over time
Paula and Torunn appear together in 1 published list, across 58 years of shared records. Torunn held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Paula 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.
Torunn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Paula 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
Paula and Torunn changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2008, ending at #332 and #619.
- Longest-running competitions
Paula and Torunn were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 58 years, from 1945 to 2008, ending at #332 and #619.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Paula #214 in 1949, Torunn #47 in 1947.
List by list
Norway · Girls58 shared years, 1945–2008
Paula held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Torunn in 49.
Highest recorded here: Paula #214 in 1949, Torunn #47 in 1947.
The order changed in 2008: Paula moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #619 and #577; by 2008 that had become #332 and #619.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Paula #332, Torunn #619.
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 | Paula | Torunn |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #521 (2025) | Norway · Girls #619 (2008) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Paula and Torunn both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Paula
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1954–1984
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 1970 (recorded 1954–1984).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #521 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Torunn
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #61 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2008
Highest recorded position: #47 among girls in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2008).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #619 among girls in Norway, in 2008.
Norway · Girls