Alfred vs Cathair
Alfred and Cathaircompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Alfred was ranked #272 and Cathair #395 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Alfred and Cathair over time
Alfred and Cathair appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Cathair held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Alfred in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Alfred reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cathair 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.
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
Alfred and Cathair changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 2008 and 2023, ending at #272 and #395.
List by list
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2008–2023
Alfred held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Cathair in 9.
Highest recorded here: Alfred #262 in 2009, Cathair #192 in 2022.
The order changed in 2023: Alfred moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #414 and #192; by 2023 that had become #272 and #395.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Alfred #272, Cathair #395.
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 | Alfred | Cathair |
|---|---|---|
| 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, NO | GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #26 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #239 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alfred and Cathair both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Alfred
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #18 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Cathair
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #207 among boys in Northern Ireland in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #164 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #239 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Boys