Alister vs Arran
Alister and Arrancompared 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.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Alister was ranked #727 and Arran #51 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 1997, Alister was ranked #271 and Arran #271 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alister was ranked #3254 and Arran #1025 among boys in England and Wales.
Alister and Arran over time
Alister and Arran appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Arran held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Alister in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Alister reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Arran 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 — Alister #564 in 1996, Arran #207 in 1997.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys28 shared years, 1996–2024
Alister held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Arran in 28.
Highest recorded here: Alister #564 in 1996, Arran #207 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alister #3254, Arran #1025.
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 | Alister | Arran |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Scotland · Boys #727 (2024) | Scotland · Boys #51 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alister has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Arran.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT.
How each name got here
Alister
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #564 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — 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 #3254 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Arran
Popularity journey
First recorded1979
First recorded at #292 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1025 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys