Aoifa vs Dearbhla
Aoifa and Dearbhlacompared 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 1998, Aoifa was ranked #498 and Dearbhla #203 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Aoifa and Dearbhla over time
Aoifa and Dearbhla appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Dearbhla held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Aoifa in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Aoifa reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Dearbhla 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
Republic of Ireland · Girls10 shared years, 1973–1998
Aoifa held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Dearbhla in 9.
Highest recorded here: Aoifa #335 in 1981, Dearbhla #203 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1998: Aoifa #498, Dearbhla #203.
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 | Aoifa | Dearbhla |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #498 (1998) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Aoifa and Dearbhla both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Aoifa
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #402 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1973–1998
Highest recorded position: #335 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1981 (recorded 1973–1998).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1998
Most recently recorded at #498 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1998.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Dearbhla
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #322 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #90 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls