Allen vs Bob
Allen and Bobcompared 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 2008, Allen was ranked #601 and Bob #529 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Allen was ranked #1533 and Bob #4107 among boys in England and Wales.
Allen and Bob over time
Allen and Bob appear together in 1 published list, across 25 years of shared records. Allen held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bob in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Bob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Allen 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Allen and Bob changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2023, ending at #1533 and #4107.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys25 shared years, 1996–2023
Allen held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Bob in 4.
Highest recorded here: Allen #1079 in 2007, Bob #1485 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Allen #1533, Bob #4107.
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 | Allen | Bob |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #4270 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #770 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Allen has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Bob.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Allen
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #79 among boys 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 · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1960
Highest recorded position: #76 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1953 (recorded 1952–1960).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4270 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Bob
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1765 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 recorded2008–2023
Highest recorded position: #529 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 2008–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4107 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys