Aedan vs Cailan
Aedan and Cailancompared 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 2013, Aedan was ranked #605 and Cailan #605 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Aedan was ranked #2813 and Cailan #3523 among boys in England and Wales.
Aedan and Cailan over time
Aedan and Cailan appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Aedan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cailan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Aedan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cailan 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Aedan #710 in 2003, Cailan #1190 in 2005.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1997–2023
Aedan held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Cailan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Aedan #710 in 2003, Cailan #1190 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Aedan #2813, Cailan #3523.
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 | Aedan | Cailan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #785 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #3523 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Aedan and Cailan both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Aedan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1235 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2021
Highest recorded position: #271 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2021).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1675 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Cailan
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #1761 among boys in England and Wales in 1997 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #3523 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys