Alyssa vs Cathryn

Alyssa and Cathryncompared 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 2017, Alyssa was ranked #242 and Cathryn #5765 among girls in England and Wales.

Alyssa and Cathryn over time

Alyssa and Cathryn appear together in 1 published list, across 20 years of shared records. Alyssa held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cathryn in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Cathryn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alyssa 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 · Girls20 shared years, 1996–2017
Alyssa held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Cathryn in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alyssa #144 in 2004, Cathryn #1195 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Alyssa #242, Cathryn #5765.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Alyssa

Pairs where Alyssa shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Chloe vs Alyssa
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Chloe #1 in 2006, Alyssa #25 in 2004.
Chloe · Alyssa · 23 shared years, 1990–2019 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2006 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Emma vs Alyssa
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Alyssa #37 in 2003.
Emma · Alyssa · 15 shared years, 1999–2013 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2003 New Zealand ranking
Lara vs Alyssa
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Lara and Alyssa averaged 6.5 places apart, ending at #68 and #75.
Lara · Alyssa · 21 shared years, 1999–2019 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2019 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Madison vs Alyssa
Across 20 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Madison and Alyssa averaged 12.8 places apart, ending at #89 and #82.
Madison · Alyssa · 20 shared years, 1999–2018 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2018 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alyssa, Cathryn
Field	Alyssa	Cathryn
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	3	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Girls #325 (2025)	England and Wales · Girls #5765 (2017)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	88/100	82/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Alyssa has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Cathryn.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.

How each name got here

Alyssa

Popularity journey

First recorded1990
First recorded at #90 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1990 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1990–2019
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2004 (recorded 1990–2019).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #325 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls

Cathryn

Popularity journey

First recorded1971
First recorded at #466 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1998–1999
Highest recorded position: #344 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 1999 (recorded 1998–1999).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #5765 among girls in England and Wales, in 2017.
England and Wales · Girls