Aongus vs Cillian
Aongus and Cilliancompared 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 · Boys
In 1986, Aongus was ranked #317 and Cillian #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Aongus and Cillian over time
Aongus and Cillian appear together in 1 published list, across 8 years of shared records. Cillian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Aongus 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.
Aongus reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cillian 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 · Boys8 shared years, 1970–1986
Aongus held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Cillian in 7.
Highest recorded here: Aongus #251 in 1970, Cillian #124 in 1982.
The order changed in 1972: Cillian moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #251 and #305; by 1972 that had become #307 and #207.
Most recent shared year, 1986: Aongus #317, Cillian #125.
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 | Aongus | Cillian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Probably from Old Irish 'cell' (church) combined with a diminutive suffix. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish |
| 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, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #317 (1986) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cillian has a recorded origin (Irish); Aongus does not have one recorded yet.
- Aongus and Cillian both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Cillian; Aongus doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Aongus
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #251 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1970–1986
Highest recorded position: #251 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1970 (recorded 1970–1986).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent1986
Most recently recorded at #317 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1986.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Cillian
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #305 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys