Alistair vs Willie
Alistair and Williecompared 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 2016, Alistair was ranked #404 and Willie #4810 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Alistair was ranked #785 and Willie #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Alistair and Willie over time
Alistair and Willie appear together in 1 published list, across 8 years of shared records. Willie held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Alistair in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Alistair reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Willie 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
Republic of Ireland · Boys8 shared years, 1970–2024
Alistair held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Willie in 3.
Highest recorded here: Alistair #278 in 1970, Willie #304 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alistair #785, Willie #785.
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 | Willie |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #785 (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 Willie.
- 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
Willie
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #305 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1970–2024
Highest recorded position: #304 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1970–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2024.
Republic of Ireland · Boys