Alec vs Willie
Alec and Williecompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2016, Alec was ranked #571 and Willie #4810 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Alec was ranked #785 and Willie #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Alec and Willie over time
Alec and Willie appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Alec held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Willie 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alec and Willie changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1985 and 2024, ending at #785 and #785.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Alec #304 in 1985, Willie #304 in 1985.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 1985–2024
Alec held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Willie in 1.
Highest recorded here: Alec #304 in 1985, Willie #304 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alec #785, Willie #785.
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 | Willie |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #785 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 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
- Alec and Willie 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
Willie
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #305 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1970–2024
Highest recorded position: #304 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1970–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2024.
Republic of Ireland · Boys