Alma vs Cailin
Alma and Cailincompared 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 · Girls
In 2020, Alma was ranked #304 and Cailin #5493 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2017, Alma was ranked #579 and Cailin #734 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Alma and Cailin over time
Alma and Cailin appear together in 2 published lists, across 34 years of shared records. Alma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cailin in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Alma and Cailin changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2020, ending at #304 and #5493.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls20 shared years, 1996–2020
Alma held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Cailin in 6.
Highest recorded here: Alma #304 in 2020, Cailin #1372 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Alma #304, Cailin #5493.
Republic of Ireland · Girls14 shared years, 1977–2017
Alma held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Cailin in 5.
Highest recorded here: Alma #240 in 1977, Cailin #356 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Alma #579, Cailin #734.
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 | Alma | Cailin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5493 (2020) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Alma and Cailin both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Alma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #293 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #8 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Cailin
Popularity journey
First recorded1977
First recorded at #518 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1977 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2018
Highest recorded position: #213 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1997–2018).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2020
Most recently recorded at #5493 among girls in England and Wales, in 2020.
England and Wales · Girls