Alfred vs Nial
Alfred and Nialcompared 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 2020, Alfred was ranked #91 and Nial #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2005, Alfred was ranked #343 and Nial #518 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Alfred and Nial over time
Alfred and Nial appear together in 2 published lists, across 43 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Nial 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.
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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alfred and Nial averaged 59.9 places apart, ending at #343 and #518.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Alfred #134 in 1964, Nial #129 in 1964.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys23 shared years, 1964–2005
Alfred held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Nial in 20.
Highest recorded here: Alfred #134 in 1964, Nial #129 in 1964.
The order changed in 2005: Alfred moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #278 and #253; by 2005 that had become #343 and #518.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Alfred #343, Nial #518.
England and Wales · Boys20 shared years, 1996–2020
Alfred held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Nial in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alfred #91 in 2020, Nial #953 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Alfred #91, Nial #4608.
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 | Nial |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #26 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #4608 (2020) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alfred has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Nial.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Nial
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #129 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 recorded1964–2005
Highest recorded position: #129 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2005).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2020
Most recently recorded at #4608 among boys in England and Wales, in 2020.
England and Wales · Boys