Alec vs Aran
Alec and Arancompared 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, Alec was ranked #829 and Aran #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Alec was ranked #535 and Aran #727 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alec was ranked #945 and Aran #1025 among boys in England and Wales.
Alec and Aran over time
Alec and Aran appear together in 2 published lists, across 61 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Alec and Aran changed places 9 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1979 and 2025, ending at #829 and #329.
- Longest-running competitions
Alec and Aran were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 32 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #829 and #329.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Alec #262 in 1997, Aran #414 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys32 shared years, 1979–2025
Alec held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Aran in 25.
Highest recorded here: Alec #249 in 1987, Aran #162 in 1998.
The order changed in 2024: Aran moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #454 and #572; by 2024 that had become #785 and #302.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alec #829, Aran #329.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alec held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Aran in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alec #262 in 1997, Aran #414 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alec #945, Aran #1025.
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 | Alec | Aran |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #329 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alec and Aran both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Alec
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #257 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2025
Highest recorded position: #249 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1971–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Aran
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #240 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1974–2025
Highest recorded position: #149 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1999 (recorded 1974–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys