Alan vs Feilim
Alan and Feilimcompared 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 2017, Alan was ranked #120 and Feilim #547 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2016, Alan was ranked #180 and Feilim #421 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Alan and Feilim over time
Alan and Feilim appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Alan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Feilim in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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 Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Alan #9 in 1980, Feilim #264 in 1980.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 1980–2017
Alan held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Feilim in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alan #9 in 1980, Feilim #264 in 1980.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Alan #120, Feilim #547.
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 | Feilim |
|---|---|---|
| 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-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #404 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alan has a recorded origin (Uncertain (Brythonic or Alan-tribal)); Feilim does not have one recorded yet.
- Alan and Feilim both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Alan; Feilim doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, 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
Feilim
Popularity journey
First recorded1980
First recorded at #264 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1980 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1980–2017
Highest recorded position: #264 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1980 (recorded 1980–2017).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Boys