Adrian vs Saul
Adrian and Saulcompared 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 2024, Adrian was ranked #200 and Saul #655 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adrian was ranked #244 and Saul #1402 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Adrian was ranked #249 and Saul #272 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adrian was ranked #478 and Saul #352 among boys in Scotland.
Adrian and Saul over time
Adrian and Saul appear together in 3 published lists, across 76 years of shared records. Adrian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Saul in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Adrian reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Saul in 1. 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
Adrian and Saul changed places 6 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2023, ending at #249 and #272.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Adrian and Saul averaged 57.9 places apart, ending at #249 and #272.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Adrian #153 in 1997, Saul #186 in 1999.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adrian held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Saul in 3.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #190 in 2009, Saul #241 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adrian #244, Saul #1402.
Republic of Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 1992–2024
Adrian held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Saul in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #76 in 1992, Saul #249 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adrian #200, Saul #655.
Northern Ireland · Boys23 shared years, 1997–2023
Adrian held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Saul in 10.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #153 in 1997, Saul #186 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adrian #249, Saul #272.
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 | Saul |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| 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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #70 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #278 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adrian has a recorded origin (Latin); Saul does not have one recorded yet.
- Adrian has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Saul.
- A meaning is recorded for Adrian; Saul doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, 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
Saul
Popularity journey
First recorded1992
First recorded at #337 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1992 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #186 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1999 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1402 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys