Adrian vs Clive
Adrian and Clivecompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adrian was ranked #244 and Clive #2443 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adrian was ranked #348 and Clive #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Adrian and Clive over time
Adrian and Clive appear together in 2 published lists, across 76 years of shared records. Adrian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Clive in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Clive reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Adrian 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 Clive were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 47 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #348 and #829.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Adrian #41 in 1975, Clive #106 in 1973.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1964–2025
Adrian held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Clive in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #41 in 1975, Clive #106 in 1973.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adrian #348, Clive #829.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adrian held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Clive in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #190 in 2009, Clive #788 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adrian #244, Clive #2443.
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 | Clive |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #70 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adrian has a recorded origin (Latin); Clive does not have one recorded yet.
- Adrian and Clive both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Adrian; Clive doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Clive
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #147 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #106 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1973 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys