Alan vs Calvin
Alan and Calvincompared 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.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Alan was ranked #352 and Calvin #191 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Alan was ranked #232 and Calvin #211 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Alan was ranked #352 and Calvin #264 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alan was ranked #592 and Calvin #826 among boys in England and Wales.
Alan and Calvin over time
Alan and Calvin appear together in 3 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Alan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Calvin in 0.
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.
Alan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Calvin 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
Alan and Calvin changed places 14 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2022, ending at #352 and #264.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Alan and Calvin averaged 33.7 places apart, ending at #352 and #264.
- Longest-running competitions
Alan and Calvin were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 42 years, from 1983 to 2025, ending at #232 and #211.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Alan #163 in 1996, Calvin #204 in 1998.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys42 shared years, 1983–2025
Alan held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Calvin in 5.
Highest recorded here: Alan #11 in 1983, Calvin #116 in 1997.
The order changed in 2023: Calvin moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #173 and #178; by 2023 that had become #319 and #288.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alan #232, Calvin #211.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alan held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Calvin in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alan #163 in 1996, Calvin #204 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alan #592, Calvin #826.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2022
Alan held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Calvin in 12.
Highest recorded here: Alan #107 in 1999, Calvin #99 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Alan #352, Calvin #264.
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 | Alan | Calvin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Exact meaning uncertain — possibly Brythonic for 'little rock', or from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th-5th centuries. Used in Brittany from at least the 6th century, brought to England by Breton settlers after the Norman Conquest. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Uncertain (Brythonic or Alan-tribal) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈæl.ən/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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 | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #211 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alan has a recorded origin (Uncertain (Brythonic or Alan-tribal)); Calvin does not have one recorded yet.
- Alan and Calvin both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Alan; Calvin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Alan
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #253 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #9 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #274 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Calvin
Popularity journey
First recorded1983
First recorded at #330 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1983 — 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: #99 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #211 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys