Aisling vs Samantha
Aisling and Samanthacompared 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 2025, Aisling was ranked #180 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Aisling was ranked #298 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Aisling was ranked #1892 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Aisling and Samantha over time
Aisling and Samantha appear together in 3 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Aisling held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Samantha in 1.
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.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Aisling 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
Aisling and Samantha changed places 15 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2021, ending at #298 and #446.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Aisling and Samantha averaged 53.9 places apart, ending at #298 and #446.
- Longest-running competitions
Aisling and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #1892 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Aisling #391 in 1998, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Aisling held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #8 in 1991, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aisling #180, Samantha #885.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Aisling held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samantha in 30.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #391 in 1998, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aisling #1892, Samantha #778.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Aisling held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Samantha in 7.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #60 in 1998, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order changed in 2021: Aisling moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #424 and #424; by 2021 that had become #298 and #446.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Aisling #298, Samantha #446.
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 | Aisling | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #180 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samantha has a recorded origin (Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)); Aisling does not have one recorded yet.
- Aisling has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- A meaning is recorded for Samantha; Aisling doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Aisling
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #154 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: #8 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1991 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1892 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls