Adam vs Alfred
Adam and Alfredcompared 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 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Alfred #286 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #29 and Alfred #26 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Alfred #81 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Alfred #278 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #60 and Alfred #272 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Adam and Alfred over time
Adam and Alfred appear together in 4 published lists, across 153 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Alfred in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Alfred changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1952 and 2025, ending at #29 and #26.
- Mirrored each other
Over 44 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Adam rose about as far as Alfred fell — from #157 and #167 in 1965 to #20 and #286 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Alfred were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 67 years, from 1952 to 2025, ending at #29 and #26.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Adam #6 in 2009, Alfred #262 in 2009.
List by list
Norway · Boys67 shared years, 1952–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 57 of those years, Alfred in 10.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Alfred #18 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #29, Alfred #26.
Republic of Ireland · Boys44 shared years, 1965–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Alfred in 4.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Alfred #159 in 1966.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Alfred #286.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Alfred in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Alfred #76 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Alfred #81.
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2008–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Alfred in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #6 in 2009, Alfred #262 in 2009.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #60, Alfred #272.
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 | Alfred |
|---|---|---|
| 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, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Norway · Boys #26 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Alfred does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Alfred both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Alfred doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
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
Alfred
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #127 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #18 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys