Adam vs Joseph
Adam and Josephcompared 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 Joseph #64 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #29 and Joseph #465 among boys in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #72 and Joseph #33 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Joseph #34 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Joseph #56 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Joseph #82 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Joseph #69 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Joseph over time
Adam and Joseph appear together in 6 published lists, across 310 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Joseph in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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 4 of those lists, Joseph 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 2020, Adam moved ahead of Joseph in England and Wales · Boys — #39 and #34 the year before became #34 and #38.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Joseph changed places 12 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1961 and 2025, ending at #72 and #33.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Adam and Joseph averaged 13.3 places apart, ending at #35 and #56.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Joseph were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 65 years, from 1961 to 2025, ending at #72 and #33.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Adam #13 in 1986, Joseph #18 in 1988.
List by list
Norway · Boys68 shared years, 1954–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 67 of those years, Joseph in 1.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Joseph #272 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #29, Joseph #465.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys65 shared years, 1961–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Joseph in 18.
Highest recorded here: Adam #7 in 1979, Joseph #32 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #72, Joseph #33.
Republic of Ireland · Boys61 shared years, 1965–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Joseph in 27.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Joseph #11 in 1965.
The order changed in 1992: Adam moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #31 and #23; by 1992 that had become #22 and #31.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Joseph #64.
New Zealand · Boys59 shared years, 1965–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Joseph in 43.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Joseph #18 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Joseph #69.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Joseph in 24.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Joseph #7 in 2000.
The order changed in 2020: Adam moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #39 and #34; by 2020 that had become #34 and #38.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Joseph #56.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Joseph in 2.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Joseph #22 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Joseph #34.
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 | Joseph |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #33 (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); Joseph does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Joseph both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Joseph doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, 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
Joseph
Popularity journey
First recorded1949
First recorded at #326 among boys in Norway in 1949 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #33 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys