Namewise

Alison vs Bobbie

Alison and Bobbiecompared 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 · Girls

    In 2004, Alison was ranked #273 and Bobbie #238 among girls in Northern Ireland.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls

    In 2024, Alison was ranked #275 and Bobbie #736 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, Alison was ranked #1603 and Bobbie #676 among girls in England and Wales.

Alison and Bobbie over time

Alison and Bobbie appear together in 2 published lists, across 37 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.

Alison reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Bobbie 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 · Girls29 shared years, 19962024

    Alison held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Bobbie in 24.

    Highest recorded here: Alison #225 in 1996, Bobbie #435 in 2001.

    The order changed in 2001: Bobbie moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #422 and #557; by 2001 that had become #570 and #435.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alison #1603, Bobbie #676.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls8 shared years, 20042024

    Alison held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Bobbie in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alison #91 in 2004, Bobbie #677 in 2004.

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

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alison #275, Bobbie #736.

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 Alison, Bobbie
FieldAlisonBobbie
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemaleUsed for both boys and girls
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables32
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Girls #213 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10088/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Alison has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Bobbie.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.

How each name got here

Alison

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1952

    First recorded at #76 among girls 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 · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1952–1996

    Highest recorded position: #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1979 (recorded 1952–1996).

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

Bobbie

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1996

    First recorded at #448 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    England and Wales · Girls

  2. Highest recorded2004–2024

    Highest recorded position: #238 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 2004–2024).

    Northern Ireland · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

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

    Republic of Ireland · Boys