Adam vs Angus
Adam and Anguscompared 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 Angus #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Angus #323 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Angus #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Angus #38 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #72 and Angus #75 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Angus #83 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Angus over time
Adam and Angus appear together in 5 published lists, across 140 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Angus in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Angus in 2. 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2015, Angus moved ahead of Adam in New Zealand · Boys — #71 and #84 the year before became #81 and #72.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Angus changed places 7 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1995 and 2023, ending at #89 and #83.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 36 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Adam and Angus averaged 26.3 places apart, ending at #72 and #75.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Angus were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 36 years, from 1990 to 2025, ending at #72 and #75.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Adam #16 in 1996, Angus #137 in 1998.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys36 shared years, 1990–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Angus in 1.
Highest recorded here: Adam #17 in 1990, Angus #35 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #72, Angus #75.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Angus in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Angus #137 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Angus #323.
New Zealand · Boys28 shared years, 1995–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Angus in 14.
Highest recorded here: Adam #34 in 2002, Angus #53 in 2010.
The order changed in 2015: Angus moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #71 and #84; by 2015 that had become #81 and #72.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Angus #83.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Angus in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Angus #186 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Angus #404.
Republic of Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 1965–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Angus in 1.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Angus #194 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #25, Angus #785.
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 | Angus |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #75 (2025) |
| 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); Angus does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Angus both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Angus doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Angus
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 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 recorded1990–2025
Highest recorded position: #35 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1990–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #75 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys