Sharon vs Stephanie
Sharon and Stephaniecompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1981, Sharon was ranked #78 and Stephanie #52 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1982, Sharon was ranked #88 and Stephanie #64 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2010, Sharon was ranked #366 and Stephanie #430 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2001, Sharon was ranked #512 and Stephanie #403 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Sharon was ranked #638 and Stephanie #541 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2020, Sharon was ranked #834 and Stephanie #700 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Sharon was ranked #2000 and Stephanie #811 among girls in England and Wales.
Sharon and Stephanie over time
Sharon and Stephanie appear together in 5 published lists, across 149 years of shared records. Stephanie held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Sharon in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Sharon reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Stephanie 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Republic of Ireland · Girls, Stephanie moved into the top 50 at #35 in 1989 as Sharon fell out of it to #52, having been #39 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1982, Stephanie moved ahead of Sharon in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #86 and #89 the year before became #88 and #64.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Sharon and Stephanie changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1969 and 2001, ending at #512 and #403.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 27 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Sharon and Stephanie averaged 40.9 places apart, ending at #78 and #52.
- Longest-running competitions
Sharon and Stephanie were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 55 years, from 1964 to 2020, ending at #834 and #700.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Sharon #539 in 1996, Stephanie #48 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls55 shared years, 1964–2020
Sharon held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Stephanie in 31.
Highest recorded here: Sharon #5 in 1970, Stephanie #23 in 1990.
The order changed in 1989: Stephanie moved ahead. In 1988 they stood at #39 and #43; by 1989 that had become #52 and #35.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Sharon #834, Stephanie #700.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Sharon held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Stephanie in 29.
Highest recorded here: Sharon #539 in 1996, Stephanie #48 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Sharon #2000, Stephanie #811.
New Zealand · Girls27 shared years, 1954–1981
Sharon held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Stephanie in 3.
Highest recorded here: Sharon #5 in 1964, Stephanie #41 in 1972.
The order changed in 1981: Stephanie moved ahead. In 1980 they stood at #69 and #71; by 1981 that had become #78 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 1981: Sharon #78, Stephanie #52.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls19 shared years, 1953–1982
Sharon held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Stephanie in 1.
Highest recorded here: Sharon #2 in 1965, Stephanie #64 in 1982.
The order changed in 1982: Stephanie moved ahead. In 1981 they stood at #86 and #89; by 1982 that had become #88 and #64.
Most recent shared year, 1982: Sharon #88, Stephanie #64.
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 1969–2001
Sharon held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Stephanie in 15.
Highest recorded here: Sharon #413 in 1981, Stephanie #178 in 1989.
The order changed in 1985: Stephanie moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #413 and #458; by 1985 that had become #582 and #268.
Most recent shared year, 2001: Sharon #512, Stephanie #403.
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 | Sharon | Stephanie |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From a Hebrew place name — a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel, also referenced in the biblical 'rose of Sharon' flowering plant. Used as a feminine given name in English since the 1920s. | The feminine form of Stephen, from Greek Stephanos meaning 'crown, wreath'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) | Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃæɹ.ən/ | /ˈstɛf.ə.ni/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Scotland · Girls #638 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #294 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sharon is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) origin, while Stephanie is recorded with a Greek origin.
- Sharon has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Stephanie.
- Sharon's recorded meaning differs from Stephanie's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Sharon
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #47 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1982
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1965 (recorded 1952–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Stephanie
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #97 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2010
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1994 (recorded 1953–2010).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #294 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls