Adam vs Fabian
Adam and Fabiancompared 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 Fabian #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #26 and Fabian #549 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #29 and Fabian #223 among boys in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #60 and Fabian #272 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Adam and Fabian over time
Adam and Fabian appear together in 4 published lists, across 133 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Fabian in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Fabian 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Fabian changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1971 and 2025, ending at #29 and #223.
- Mirrored each other
Over 39 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Adam rose about as far as Fabian fell — from #245 and #265 in 1967 to #20 and #509 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Fabian were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #26 and #549.
List by list
Norway · Boys51 shared years, 1971–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Fabian in 4.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Fabian #110 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #29, Fabian #223.
Republic of Ireland · Boys39 shared years, 1967–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Fabian in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2002, Fabian #214 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Fabian #509.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Fabian in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Fabian #266 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #26, Fabian #549.
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2005–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Fabian in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2005, Fabian #188 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #60, Fabian #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 | Fabian |
|---|---|---|
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Norway · Boys #223 (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); Fabian does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Fabian both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Fabian doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, 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 #26 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Fabian
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #265 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2025
Highest recorded position: #110 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1971–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #549 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys