Alexander vs Cieran

Alexander and Cierancompared 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 2021, Alexander was ranked #27 and Cieran #4789 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2009, Alexander was ranked #50 and Cieran #701 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Alexander and Cieran over time

Alexander and Cieran appear together in 2 published lists, across 33 years of shared records. Alexander held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cieran in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

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.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1996–2021
Alexander held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Cieran in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alexander #14 in 1996, Cieran #479 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Alexander #27, Cieran #4789.
Republic of Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 1964–2009
Alexander held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Cieran in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alexander #45 in 2008, Cieran #170 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2009: Alexander #50, Cieran #701.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Alexander

Pairs where Alexander shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Alexander vs Garry
In 1964 they stood at #116 and #114 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2009 they were #50 and #701.
Alexander · Garry · 45 shared years, 1964–2009 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2009 Republic of Ireland ranking
Alexander vs Roger
In 1964 they stood at #116 and #113 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2021 they were #43 and #631.
Alexander · Roger · 41 shared years, 1964–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2021 Republic of Ireland ranking
Craig vs Alexander
In 1997 they stood at #68 and #60 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 8 places apart; by 2015 they were #415 and #46.
Craig · Alexander · 17 shared years, 1997–2015 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2015 Northern Ireland ranking
Alexander vs Steven
In 1997 they stood at #60 and #59 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 1 places apart; by 2022 they were #47 and #414.
Alexander · Steven · 24 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alexander, Cieran
Field	Alexander	Cieran
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Commonly interpreted as 'defender of men' or 'protector of the people'.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Greek	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˌælɪɡˈzændər/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	4	2
Common variants / nicknames	Alex, Xander, Sasha, Alessandro	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	United Kingdom #11 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #4789 (2021)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	65/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	70/100	88/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	high	medium

What the data shows

Alexander has a recorded origin (Greek); Cieran does not have one recorded yet.
Alexander has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Cieran.
A meaning is recorded for Alexander; Cieran doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
The available evidence gives Alexander a "high" Data Confidence level and Cieran a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Alexander

Popularity journey

First recorded1948
First recorded at #320 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2014 (recorded 1952–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #22 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Cieran

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #214 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2009
Highest recorded position: #170 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2009).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #4789 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Boys