Aaron vs Rory
Aaron and Rorycompared 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.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Aaron was ranked #114 and Rory #3 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Aaron was ranked #154 and Rory #24 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1994, Aaron was ranked #27 and Rory #99 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Aaron was ranked #187 and Rory #33 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Aaron was ranked #71 and Rory #60 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Aaron and Rory over time
Aaron and Rory appear together in 3 published lists, across 117 years of shared records. Aaron held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Rory in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Aaron reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Rory 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 Northern Ireland · Boys, Rory moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2017 as Aaron fell out of it to #80, having been #50 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2015, Rory moved ahead of Aaron in England and Wales · Boys — #80 and #87 the year before became #87 and #74.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Aaron and Rory averaged 45.1 places apart, ending at #187 and #33.
- Longest-running competitions
Aaron and Rory were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 60 years, from 1965 to 2025, ending at #71 and #60.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys60 shared years, 1965–2025
Aaron held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Rory in 22.
Highest recorded here: Aaron #6 in 1998, Rory #42 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aaron #71, Rory #60.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Aaron held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Rory in 10.
Highest recorded here: Aaron #31 in 1998, Rory #24 in 2024.
The order changed in 2015: Rory moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #80 and #87; by 2015 that had become #87 and #74.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aaron #154, Rory #24.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Aaron held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Rory in 9.
Highest recorded here: Aaron #8 in 2000, Rory #28 in 2022.
The order changed in 2017: Rory moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #50 and #68; by 2017 that had become #80 and #37.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aaron #187, Rory #33.
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 | Aaron | Rory |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Best known as the name of Moses's elder brother and the first high priest of Israel in the Old Testament; the literal meaning of the name itself is not reliably established. | Red king. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew (likely of Egyptian origin) | Scottish and Irish Gaelic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛrən/ | /ˈɹɔɹi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Ruairidh, Ruaidhrí, Rorie, Ruaidhrí |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #71 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #60 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Aaron is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew (likely of Egyptian origin) origin, while Rory is recorded with a Scottish and Irish Gaelic origin.
- Aaron and Rory both have 2 syllables.
- Aaron's recorded meaning differs from Rory's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Aaron a "medium" Data Confidence level and Rory a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Aaron
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1965–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1965–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #334 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Rory
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #73 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2024–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Scotland, in 2024 (recorded 2024–2024).
Scotland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #60 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys