Adrian vs Aonghus
Adrian and Aonghuscompared 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 2021, Adrian was ranked #257 and Aonghus #755 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Adrian and Aonghus over time
Adrian and Aonghus appear together in 1 published list, across 30 years of shared records. Adrian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Aonghus in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Adrian reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Aonghus 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Adrian and Aonghus were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 30 years, from 1971 to 2021, ending at #257 and #755.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys30 shared years, 1971–2021
Adrian held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Aonghus in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #41 in 1975, Aonghus #180 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Adrian #257, Aonghus #755.
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 | Adrian | Aonghus |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Latin name Hadrianus. Borne by several saints and six popes, including the only English pope, Adrian IV. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪ.dɹi.ən/ | 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 | IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #70 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #755 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adrian has a recorded origin (Latin); Aonghus does not have one recorded yet.
- Adrian and Aonghus both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adrian; Aonghus doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Adrian
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #87 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1958–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1958–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #70 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Aonghus
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #304 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2021
Highest recorded position: #180 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1989 (recorded 1971–2021).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #755 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2021.
Republic of Ireland · Boys