Adam vs Seán
Adam and Seáncompared 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 Seán #23 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Adam and Seán over time
Adam and Seán appear together in 1 published list, across 8 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Seán reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Adam 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.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys8 shared years, 2018–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Seán in 4.
Highest recorded here: Adam #6 in 2019, Seán #13 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Seán #23.
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 | Seán |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #23 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Seán does not have one recorded yet.
- Adam has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Seán.
- A meaning is recorded for Adam; Seán doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
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
Seán
Popularity journey
First recorded2018
First recorded at #13 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 2018 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2018–2025
Highest recorded position: #13 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2018 (recorded 2018–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys