Adele vs Cathleen
Adele and Cathleencompared 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 · Girls
In 1990, Adele was ranked #446 and Cathleen #446 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2015, Adele was ranked #585 and Cathleen #5730 among girls in England and Wales.
Adele and Cathleen over time
Adele and Cathleen appear together in 2 published lists, across 23 years of shared records. Adele held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cathleen in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Adele and Cathleen changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1965 and 1990, ending at #446 and #446.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 1965–1990
Adele held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Cathleen in 1.
Highest recorded here: Adele #218 in 1975, Cathleen #262 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Adele #446, Cathleen #446.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2015
Adele held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Cathleen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adele #260 in 1996, Cathleen #3247 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Adele #585, Cathleen #5730.
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 | Adele | Cathleen |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #181 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5730 (2015) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adele has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Cathleen.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Adele
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #282 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1970–2025
Highest recorded position: #84 among girls in Norway, in 2012 (recorded 1970–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #181 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Cathleen
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1965–1990
Highest recorded position: #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1965–1990).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #5730 among girls in England and Wales, in 2015.
England and Wales · Girls