Anja

femaleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Anja: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Anja: Recorded every year since 1956, it reached #63 in 1979, and it stood at #303 in 2025.

2registrars recorded it
99times a registrar ranked it
70years from first to last
#63highest recorded position
21groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Anja's record

Ranked every year since 1956, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Moved 147 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#1434
1997	#1365
1998	#1259
1999	#1018
2000	#897
2001	#816
2002	#1151
2003	#1026
2004	#1012
2005	#1406
2006	#1153
2007	#1234
2008	#1302
2009	#1209
2010	#1429
2011	#1015
2012	#1483
2013	#1707
2014	#1501
2015	#2070
2016	#2233
2017	#1628
2018	#2090
2019	#4001
2020	#2615
2021	#2499
2022	#3148
2023	#2504
2024	#3695

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Norway in every year from 1956 to 2025.

In 2024: #335 among girls in Norway, #3695 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 2 national registrars across 2 regions, 1956–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1956
First recorded at #272 among girls in Norway in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2025
Highest recorded position: #63 among girls in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1956–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #303 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls

Anja appears in 2 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Girls, which has ranked it in 70 years beginning in 1956, and has registered 3,745 births with the name.

Anja across 2 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Anja's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Girls	#272 (1956)	#63 (1979)	#303 (2025)	70 of 70	3,745 (1956–2025)	127 (1974)
England and Wales · Girls	#1434 (1996)	#816 (2001)	#3695 (2024)	29 of 29	503 (1996–2024)	34 (2011)

Anja by decade in Norway · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Anja in Norway · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1950s	28	4 of 10	7
1960s	309	10 of 10	31
1970sbusiest	1,064	10 of 10	106
1980s	965	10 of 10	97
1990s	860	10 of 10	86
2000s	297	10 of 10	30
2010s	147	10 of 10	15
2020s	75	6 of 10	13

Across Norway · Girls, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 106 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1991 and 1992, when recorded births rose by 34, from 79 to 113.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

Anja appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 2 regions, from 1956 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #63 in Norway in 1979.

Anja's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	female	#3695	6	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	female	#2504	10	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	female	#3148	7	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	female	#2499	10	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	female	#2615	9	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	female	#4001	5	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	female	#2090	13	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	female	#1628	19	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	female	#2233	12	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	female	#2070	13	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	female	#1501	20	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	female	#1707	17	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	female	#1483	21	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	female	#1015	34	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	female	#1429	21	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	female	#1209	25	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	female	#1302	22	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	female	#1234	22	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	female	#1153	23	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	female	#1406	16	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	female	#1012	24	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	female	#1026	23	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#1151	18	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	female	#816	29	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#897	24	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#1018	20	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#1259	15	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#1365	13	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#1434	12	High	Verified
2025	Norway	female	#303	12	High	Verified
2024	Norway	female	#335	10	High	Verified
2023	Norway	female	#345	10	High	Verified
2022	Norway	female	#331	10	High	Verified
2021	Norway	female	#274	13	High	Verified
2020	Norway	female	#218	20	High	Verified
2019	Norway	female	#256	17	High	Verified
2018	Norway	female	#385	9	High	Verified
2017	Norway	female	#291	16	High	Verified
2016	Norway	female	#342	13	High	Verified
2015	Norway	female	#287	17	High	Verified
2014	Norway	female	#230	24	High	Verified
2013	Norway	female	#358	12	High	Verified
2012	Norway	female	#420	9	High	Verified
2011	Norway	female	#273	19	High	Verified
2010	Norway	female	#379	11	High	Verified
2009	Norway	female	#316	15	High	Verified
2008	Norway	female	#311	15	High	Verified
2007	Norway	female	#195	30	High	Verified
2006	Norway	female	#252	19	High	Verified
2005	Norway	female	#205	27	High	Verified
2004	Norway	female	#199	28	High	Verified
2003	Norway	female	#162	35	High	Verified
2002	Norway	female	#141	41	High	Verified
2001	Norway	female	#142	42	High	Verified
2000	Norway	female	#140	45	High	Verified
1999	Norway	female	#153	40	High	Verified
1998	Norway	female	#129	54	High	Verified
1997	Norway	female	#99	82	High	Verified
1996	Norway	female	#87	102	High	Verified
1995	Norway	female	#89	100	High	Verified
1994	Norway	female	#77	113	High	Verified
1993	Norway	female	#93	93	High	Verified
1992	Norway	female	#73	113	High	Verified
1991	Norway	female	#105	79	High	Verified
1990	Norway	female	#97	84	High	Verified
1989	Norway	female	#83	95	High	Verified
1988	Norway	female	#90	83	High	Verified
1987	Norway	female	#79	94	High	Verified
1986	Norway	female	#72	102	High	Verified
1985	Norway	female	#81	90	High	Verified
1984	Norway	female	#67	108	High	Verified
1983	Norway	female	#72	96	High	Verified
1982	Norway	female	#85	83	High	Verified
1981	Norway	female	#64	113	High	Verified
1980	Norway	female	#73	101	High	Verified
1979	Norway	female	#63	117	High	Verified
1978	Norway	female	#66	115	High	Verified
1977	Norway	female	#79	99	High	Verified
1976	Norway	female	#85	87	High	Verified
1975	Norway	female	#66	117	High	Verified
1974	Norway	female	#66	127	High	Verified
1973	Norway	female	#64	117	High	Verified
1972	Norway	female	#89	84	High	Verified
1971	Norway	female	#75	109	High	Verified
1970	Norway	female	#82	92	High	Verified
1969	Norway	female	#101	69	High	Verified
1968	Norway	female	#129	46	High	Verified
1967	Norway	female	#104	62	High	Verified
1966	Norway	female	#109	51	High	Verified
1965	Norway	female	#166	25	High	Verified
1964	Norway	female	#235	16	High	Verified
1963	Norway	female	#264	13	High	Verified
1962	Norway	female	#270	11	High	Verified
1961	Norway	female	#334	8	High	Verified
1960	Norway	female	#341	8	High	Verified
1959	Norway	female	#375	6	High	Verified
1958	Norway	female	#443	4	High	Verified
1957	Norway	female	#313	8	High	Verified
1956	Norway	female	#272	10	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Norway hub — collected by Statistics Norway (SSB)

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 2 registrars between 1956 and 2025, ranked in 70 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #63, first reached in 1979.

It held a top-100 place in 27 years, 21 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 127 births, registered in Norway in 1974.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 40 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Aniya · #802, 23y
Aniyah · #337, 21y
Anjali · #410, 30y
Anjolaoluwa · #620, 26y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 2 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Benedicte · #63, 67y
Roald · #64, 68y
Helga · #58, 70y
Eskil · #72, 65y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Shona · #63, 69y
Bryan · #64, 72y
Joy · #62, 68y
Norman · #62, 62y

Anja was ranked #63 in Norway · Girls in 1979. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Anja and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Anja without appearing here.

Anja moved ahead of

Tracy Compare
In 2020 they stood at #2615 and #2449 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2021 that had become #2499 and #5581.
Tyler Compare
In 2020 they stood at #4001 and #4001 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2021 that had become #2499 and #5581.
Cheryl Compare
In 2019 they stood at #4001 and #2286 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2020 that had become #2615 and #5493.
Shauna Compare
In 2020 they stood at #4001 and #4001 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2021 that had become #2499 and #4634.

Moved ahead of Anja

Mathilde Compare
In 2018 they stood at #2090 and #2187 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2019 that had become #4001 and #1497.
Marilyn Compare
In 2018 they stood at #2090 and #2674 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2019 that had become #4001 and #2040.
Noah Compare
In 2023 they stood at #2504 and #3218 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #3695 and #1743.
Eabha Compare
In 2018 they stood at #2090 and #2674 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2019 that had become #4001 and #2458.

Moved the opposite way to Anja

Vilde Compare
Between 1965 and 2025 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #166 to #303 while Vilde went from #524 to #32.
Malin Compare
Between 1966 and 2025 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #109 to #303 while Malin went from #530 to #167.
Silje Compare
Between 1966 and 2025 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #109 to #303 while Silje went from #542 to #286.
Martine Compare
Between 1967 and 2025 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #104 to #303 while Martine went from #569 to #124.

Moved the same way as Anja

Grethe Compare
Between 1956 and 2012 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #272 to #420 and Grethe from #15 to #576.
Hege Compare
Between 1956 and 2012 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #272 to #420 and Hege from #82 to #580.
Mette Compare
Between 1956 and 2012 in Norway · Girls, Anja went from #272 to #420 and Mette from #44 to #542.
Abigail Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Anja went from #1434 to #3695 and Abigail from #21 to #154.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 2 regions, from 1956 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #63 in Norway in 1979. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Anja

Anja at a glance

What stands out in Anja's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Anja across 2 official records

Anja by decade in Norway · Girls

Anja appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Anja

Anja and the names beside it

Anja moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Anja

Moved the opposite way to Anja

Moved the same way as Anja

Anja at a glance

What stands out in Anja's record

Anja across 2 official records

Anja by decade in Norway · Girls

Anja appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Anja

Anja and the names beside it

Anja moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Anja

Moved the opposite way to Anja

Moved the same way as Anja