Aoileann vs Barbara
Aoileann and Barbaracompared 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 2023, Aoileann was ranked #727 and Barbara #856 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Aoileann and Barbara over time
Aoileann and Barbara appear together in 1 published list, across 18 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Barbara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Aoileann 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.
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
Aoileann and Barbara changed places 7 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1975 and 2023, ending at #727 and #856.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1975–2023
Aoileann held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Barbara in 7.
Highest recorded here: Aoileann #377 in 2010, Barbara #71 in 1975.
The order changed in 2021: Aoileann moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #700 and #495; by 2021 that had become #390 and #883.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Aoileann #727, Barbara #856.
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 | Aoileann | Barbara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #2440 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Aoileann has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Barbara.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Aoileann
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #406 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1975–2024
Highest recorded position: #377 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 1975–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #736 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2024.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Barbara
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #271 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1971
Highest recorded position: #10 among girls in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1971).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls