Abigail vs Catelyn
Abigail and Catelyncompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2004, Abigail was ranked #37 and Catelyn #372 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2019, Abigail was ranked #83 and Catelyn #5591 among girls in England and Wales.
Abigail and Catelyn over time
Abigail and Catelyn appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Abigail held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Catelyn in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Abigail reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Catelyn 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls19 shared years, 2000–2019
Abigail held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Catelyn in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #19 in 2000, Catelyn #2247 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Abigail #83, Catelyn #5591.
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 | Abigail | Catelyn |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| 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, GB-NIR |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #55 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5591 (2019) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Abigail and Catelyn both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Abigail
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #303 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #55 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Catelyn
Popularity journey
First recorded2000
First recorded at #3912 among girls in England and Wales in 2000 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #5591 among girls in England and Wales, in 2019.
England and Wales · Girls