Ailish vs Alanah
Ailish and Alanahcompared 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 · Girls
In 2022, Ailish was ranked #357 and Alanah #905 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ailish was ranked #3015 and Alanah #2574 among girls in England and Wales.
Ailish and Alanah over time
Ailish and Alanah appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Ailish reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alanah 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ailish and Alanah changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1992 and 2022, ending at #357 and #905.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ailish #551 in 1997, Alanah #672 in 1997.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ailish held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Alanah in 27.
Highest recorded here: Ailish #551 in 1997, Alanah #672 in 1997.
The order changed in 1998: Alanah moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #551 and #672; by 1998 that had become #801 and #724.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ailish #3015, Alanah #2574.
Republic of Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1992–2022
Ailish held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Alanah in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ailish #143 in 1996, Alanah #225 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Ailish #357, Alanah #905.
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 | Ailish | Alanah |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #2574 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ailish has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Alanah.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Ailish
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #327 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #138 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1990 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Alanah
Popularity journey
First recorded1992
First recorded at #523 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1992 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1992–2022
Highest recorded position: #225 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1992–2022).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2574 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls