Adam vs Aedan
Adam and Aedancompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #25 and Aedan #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Aedan #1675 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2021, Adam was ranked #59 and Aedan #374 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Adam and Aedan over time
Adam and Aedan appear together in 3 published lists, across 58 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Aedan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Aedan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Adam in 1. 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Adam #5 in 1998, Aedan #369 in 1996.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Aedan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Aedan #710 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Aedan #1675.
Republic of Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Aedan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #5 in 1998, Aedan #369 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #25, Aedan #785.
Northern Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 1997–2021
Adam held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Aedan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2003, Aedan #271 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Adam #59, Aedan #374.
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 | Adam | Aedan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | 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, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #785 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Aedan does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Aedan both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Aedan doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Aedan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1235 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2021
Highest recorded position: #271 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2021).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1675 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys