Alan vs Tadgh
Alan and Tadghcompared 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 2025, Alan was ranked #232 and Tadgh #130 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alan was ranked #592 and Tadgh #3688 among boys in England and Wales.
Alan and Tadgh over time
Alan and Tadgh appear together in 2 published lists, across 77 years of shared records. Alan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Tadgh 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, and Tadgh 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2018, Tadgh moved ahead of Alan in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #120 and #145 the year before became #142 and #125.
- Longest-running competitions
Alan and Tadgh were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 55 years, from 1969 to 2025, ending at #232 and #130.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Alan #163 in 1996, Tadgh #2074 in 1998.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys55 shared years, 1969–2025
Alan held the stronger position in 46 of those years, Tadgh in 9.
Highest recorded here: Alan #9 in 1975, Tadgh #90 in 2022.
The order changed in 2018: Tadgh moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #120 and #145; by 2018 that had become #142 and #125.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alan #232, Tadgh #130.
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 1996–2024
Alan held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Tadgh in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alan #163 in 1996, Tadgh #2074 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alan #592, Tadgh #3688.
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 | Tadgh |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| 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, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #130 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 86/100 |
| 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)); Tadgh does not have one recorded yet.
- Alan has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Tadgh.
- A meaning is recorded for Alan; Tadgh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Tadgh
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #291 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1969–2025
Highest recorded position: #90 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2022 (recorded 1969–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #130 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys