Ailbe vs Cailan
Ailbe 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, Ailbe was ranked #605 and Cailan #605 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Ailbe was ranked #4991 and Cailan #3523 among boys in England and Wales.
Ailbe and Cailan over time
Ailbe and Cailan appear together in 1 published list, across 14 years of shared records. Cailan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ailbe in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Cailan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ailbe 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 2007–2023
Ailbe held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Cailan in 7.
Highest recorded here: Ailbe #1124 in 2017, Cailan #1706 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ailbe #4991, 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 | Ailbe | 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 #676 (2025) | 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
- Ailbe and Cailan both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Ailbe
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #265 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #265 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1967 (recorded 1967–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · 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