Adam vs Kane
Adam and Kanecompared 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 Kane #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1995, Adam was ranked #26 and Kane #97 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Kane #691 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2001, Adam was ranked #41 and Kane #93 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Kane #619 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #60 and Kane #395 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Adam and Kane over time
Adam and Kane appear together in 4 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Kane 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, Kane 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 35 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Adam rose about as far as Kane fell — from #55 and #254 in 1988 to #20 and #468 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Kane were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 35 years, from 1988 to 2025, ending at #20 and #468.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Adam #13 in 1986, Kane #57 in 1988.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys35 shared years, 1988–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Kane in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Kane #216 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Kane #468.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Kane in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Kane #93 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Kane #691.
Northern Ireland · Boys22 shared years, 1997–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Kane in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Kane #152 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #60, Kane #395.
New Zealand · Boys18 shared years, 1975–2001
Adam held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Kane in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Kane #57 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2001: Adam #41, Kane #93.
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 | Kane |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #468 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Kane does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam and Kane both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Kane 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
Kane
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #92 among boys in New Zealand in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1975–2001
Highest recorded position: #57 among boys in New Zealand, in 1988 (recorded 1975–2001).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys