Adam vs Seth
Adam and Sethcompared 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 Seth #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Seth #308 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Seth #108 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Seth #535 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2009, Adam was ranked #48 and Seth #86 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2011, Adam was ranked #70 and Seth #84 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Seth over time
Adam and Seth appear together in 4 published lists, across 86 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Seth in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Seth in none. 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 Seth changed places 6 times in New Zealand · Boys between 2000 and 2011, ending at #70 and #84.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Adam #37 in 2003, Seth #51 in 2005.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Seth in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Seth #90 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Seth #308.
Republic of Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 2001–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Seth in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Seth #292 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Seth #577.
Northern Ireland · Boys22 shared years, 2000–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Seth in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2003, Seth #81 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Seth #108.
New Zealand · Boys11 shared years, 2000–2011
Adam held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Seth in 3.
Highest recorded here: Adam #37 in 2003, Seth #51 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Adam #70, Seth #84.
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 | Seth |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| 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 #577 (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); Seth does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Seth.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Seth 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
Seth
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #441 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2000–2011
Highest recorded position: #51 among boys in New Zealand, in 2005 (recorded 2000–2011).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys