Alistair vs Esmond
Alistair and Esmondcompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1975, Alistair was ranked #321 and Esmond #321 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alistair was ranked #545 and Esmond #5119 among boys in England and Wales.
Alistair and Esmond over time
Alistair and Esmond appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Alistair held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Esmond in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Esmond reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alistair 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Alistair #224 in 2003, Esmond #2587 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys10 shared years, 2001–2024
Alistair held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Esmond in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alistair #224 in 2003, Esmond #2587 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alistair #545, Esmond #5119.
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 | Alistair | Esmond |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #509 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #5119 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alistair has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Esmond.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Alistair
Popularity journey
First recorded1956
First recorded at #97 among boys in New Zealand in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1956–1964
Highest recorded position: #87 among boys in New Zealand, in 1958 (recorded 1956–1964).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Esmond
Popularity journey
First recorded2001
First recorded at #2587 among boys in England and Wales in 2001 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5119 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys