Namewise

Alfred vs Cailean

Alfred and Caileancompared 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 2025, Alfred was ranked #76 and Cailean #4275 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Scotland · Boys

    In 2024, Alfred was ranked #278 and Cailean #478 among boys in Scotland.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2013, Alfred was ranked #383 and Cailean #711 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys

    In 2022, Alfred was ranked #414 and Cailean #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.

Alfred and Cailean over time

Alfred and Cailean appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Alfred held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cailean in 0.

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

Cailean reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alfred in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

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 · Boys15 shared years, 19962025

    Alfred held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Cailean in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alfred #76 in 2025, Cailean #1850 in 1999.

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

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Alfred #76, Cailean #4275.

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 Alfred

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

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alfred, Cailean
FieldAlfredCailean
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NOGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Boys #26 (2025)England and Wales · Boys #4275 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Alfred and Cailean both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.

How each name got here

Alfred

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #127 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #18 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #76 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Cailean

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1993

    First recorded at #275 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1998–2022

    Highest recorded position: #243 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1998–2022).

    Northern Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #4275 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys