Alec vs Calem
Alec and Calemcompared 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 2022, Alec was ranked #454 and Calem #657 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2011, Alec was ranked #580 and Calem #3830 among boys in England and Wales.
Alec and Calem over time
Alec and Calem appear together in 1 published list, across 11 years of shared records. Alec held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Calem 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 England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Alec #263 in 1996, Calem #1337 in 1996.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys11 shared years, 1996–2011
Alec held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Calem in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alec #263 in 1996, Calem #1337 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Alec #580, Calem #3830.
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 | Calem |
|---|---|---|
| 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, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #657 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alec and Calem both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Calem
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1337 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2022
Highest recorded position: #303 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2022).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #657 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2022.
Republic of Ireland · Boys