Namewise

Alexander vs Reginald

Alexander and Reginaldcompared 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 2024, Alexander was ranked #36 and Reginald #239 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2025, Alexander was ranked #55 and Reginald #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys

    In 1953, Alexander was ranked #82 and Reginald #85 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.

Alexander and Reginald over time

Alexander and Reginald appear together in 2 published lists, across 46 years of shared records. Alexander held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Reginald 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 · Boys29 shared years, 19962024

    Alexander held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Reginald in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alexander #14 in 1996, Reginald #224 in 2020.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alexander #36, Reginald #239.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys17 shared years, 19652025

    Alexander held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Reginald in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alexander #36 in 2019, Reginald #194 in 1965.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Alexander #55, Reginald #829.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Alexander, Reginald
FieldAlexanderReginald
Record typeEditorially researched profileOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningCommonly interpreted as 'defender of men' or 'protector of the people'.Not yet recorded
OriginGreekNot yet recorded
Pronunciation/ˌælɪɡˈzændər/
Syllables43
Common variants / nicknamesAlex, Xander, Sasha, AlessandroNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZAU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observationUnited Kingdom #11 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)65/100Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)70/10076/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencehighmedium

What the data shows

  • Alexander has a recorded origin (Greek); Reginald does not have one recorded yet.
  • Alexander has 4 syllables, compared with 3 for Reginald.
  • A meaning is recorded for Alexander; Reginald doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE.
  • The available evidence gives Alexander a "high" Data Confidence level and Reginald 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

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1952–2025

    Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2014 (recorded 1952–2025).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #22 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Reginald

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1952

    First recorded at #91 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1952–1954

    Highest recorded position: #85 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1953 (recorded 1952–1954).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys