Amy vs Cathleen

Amy and Cathleencompared 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 · Girls
In 1990, Amy was ranked #12 and Cathleen #446 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2015, Amy was ranked #117 and Cathleen #5730 among girls in England and Wales.

Amy and Cathleen over time

Amy and Cathleen appear together in 2 published lists, across 22 years of shared records. Amy held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cathleen in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

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.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Girls14 shared years, 1965–1990
Amy held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Cathleen in 1.
Highest recorded here: Amy #12 in 1990, Cathleen #262 in 1965.
The order changed in 1968: Amy moved ahead. In 1967 they stood at #393 and #354; by 1968 that had become #357 and #401.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Amy #12, Cathleen #446.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2015
Amy held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Cathleen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Amy #9 in 1996, Cathleen #3247 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Amy #117, Cathleen #5730.

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 Amy

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

Amy vs Courtney
In 1997 they stood at #9 and #12 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 3 places apart; by 2017 they were #87 and #432.
Amy · Courtney · 21 shared years, 1997–2017 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2017 Northern Ireland ranking
Charlotte vs Amy
In 1996 they stood at #7 and #9 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2024 they were #23 and #363.
Charlotte · Amy · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking
Caitlin vs Amy
Caitlin and Amy changed places 13 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #119 and #253.
Caitlin · Amy · 28 shared years, 1997–2024 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2024 Northern Ireland ranking
Amy vs Chelsea
Amy and Chelsea both fell over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New Zealand · Girls; Northern Ireland · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Amy · Chelsea · 39 shared years, 1987–2025 · Moved together in several countries

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Amy, Cathleen
Field	Amy	Cathleen
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
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Girls #138 (2025)	England and Wales · Girls #5730 (2015)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	76/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Amy and Cathleen both have 2 syllables.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Amy

Popularity journey

First recorded1965
First recorded at #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1975–2012
Highest recorded position: #4 among girls in New Zealand, in 1984 (recorded 1975–2012).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #457 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls

Cathleen

Popularity journey

First recorded1965
First recorded at #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1965–1990
Highest recorded position: #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1965–1990).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #5730 among girls in England and Wales, in 2015.
England and Wales · Girls