Alister vs Cailum
Alister and Cailumcompared 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 · Boys
In 1997, Alister was ranked #271 and Cailum #271 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2012, Alister was ranked #2270 and Cailum #4805 among boys in England and Wales.
Alister and Cailum over time
Alister and Cailum appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Alister held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cailum 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 Cailum 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 · Boys13 shared years, 1996–2012
Alister held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Cailum in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alister #564 in 1996, Cailum #2142 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Alister #2270, Cailum #4805.
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 | Cailum |
|---|---|---|
| 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, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2664 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #374 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alister has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Cailum.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
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 recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2664 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Cailum
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2357 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
Highest recorded1997–2021
Highest recorded position: #271 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2021).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #374 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2021.
Northern Ireland · Boys