Anais vs Iona
Anais and Ionacompared 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 2021, Anais was ranked #446 and Iona #266 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Anais was ranked #658 and Iona #520 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anais was ranked #608 and Iona #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Anais and Iona over time
Anais and Iona appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 years of shared records. Iona held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Anais 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.
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
Anais and Iona changed places 8 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2025, ending at #658 and #520.
- Longest-running competitions
Anais and Iona were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #658 and #520.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Anais held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Iona in 22.
Highest recorded here: Anais #292 in 2003, Iona #199 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anais #658, Iona #520.
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2000–2025
Anais held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Iona in 10.
Highest recorded here: Anais #413 in 2000, Iona #403 in 2008.
The order changed in 2023: Iona moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #634 and #747; by 2023 that had become #856 and #856.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anais #608, Iona #544.
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 | Anais | Iona |
|---|---|---|
| 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-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #608 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #520 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anais and Iona both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Anais
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1222 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #292 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #658 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Iona
Popularity journey
First recorded1988
First recorded at #492 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1988 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #520 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls