Sara vs Thora
Sara and Thoracompared 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 2023, Sara was ranked #24 and Thora #459 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Sara was ranked #97 and Thora #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Sara and Thora over time
Sara and Thora appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Sara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Thora 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Sara and Thora were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 30 years, from 1947 to 2023, ending at #24 and #459.
List by list
Norway · Girls30 shared years, 1947–2023
Sara held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Thora in 1.
Highest recorded here: Sara #7 in 2001, Thora #316 in 1947.
The order changed in 1954: Sara moved ahead. In 1953 they stood at #385 and #316; by 1954 that had become #408 and #412.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Sara #24, Thora #459.
England and Wales · Girls17 shared years, 2008–2024
Sara held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Thora in 0.
Highest recorded here: Sara #82 in 2017, Thora #1501 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Sara #97, Thora #4192.
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 | Sara | Thora |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A variant spelling of Sarah, traditionally interpreted as 'lady', 'princess', or 'noblewoman'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛrə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #43 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #4192 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sara has a recorded origin (Hebrew, widely used across Arabic and other languages); Thora does not have one recorded yet.
- Sara and Thora both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Sara; Thora doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Sara
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #385 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in Norway, in 2013 (recorded 1947–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #43 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Thora
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #366 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2023
Highest recorded position: #316 among girls in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2023).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4192 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls