Ally vs Meg
Ally and Megcompared 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 · Girls
In 2003, Ally was ranked #248 and Meg #331 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Ally was ranked #347 and Meg #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Ally was ranked #4634 and Meg #3961 among girls in England and Wales.
Ally and Meg over time
Ally and Meg appear together in 2 published lists, across 35 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Meg reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ally 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 · Girls within 2 years — Ally #936 in 2001, Meg #409 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 1998–2021
Ally held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Meg in 20.
Highest recorded here: Ally #936 in 2001, Meg #409 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ally #4634, Meg #3961.
Republic of Ireland · Girls12 shared years, 1999–2019
Ally held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Meg in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ally #180 in 2001, Meg #269 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Ally #347, Meg #871.
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 | Ally | Meg |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | female |
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3961 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ally has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Meg.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Ally
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2863 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 recorded1999–2025
Highest recorded position: #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1999–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Meg
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2019
Highest recorded position: #269 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1993–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #3961 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Girls