Namewise

Arthur vs Macdara

Arthur and Macdaracompared 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 2025, Arthur was ranked #57 and Macdara #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Arthur and Macdara over time

Arthur and Macdara appear together in 1 published list, across 32 years of shared records. Arthur held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Macdara in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Macdara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Arthur 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.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Arthur and Macdara were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 32 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #57 and #432.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys32 shared years, 19642025

    Arthur held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Macdara in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #47 in 2024, Macdara #204 in 1964.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Arthur #57, Macdara #432.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Arthur, Macdara
FieldArthurMacdara
Record typeEditorially researched profileOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningMeaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence.Not yet recorded
OriginDisputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly RomanNot yet recorded
Pronunciation/ˈɑɹθər/Not yet recorded
Syllables23
Common variants / nicknamesArt, ArtieNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZIE
Most recent popularity observationNew South Wales, Australia · Boys #19 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Boys #432 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/100Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10040/100
Data Confidencehighmedium

What the data shows

  • Arthur has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly Roman); Macdara does not have one recorded yet.
  • Arthur has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Macdara.
  • A meaning is recorded for Arthur; Macdara doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in IE.
  • The available evidence gives Arthur a "high" Data Confidence level and Macdara a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Arthur

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #153 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1996–2024

    Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in England and Wales, in 2020 (recorded 1996–2024).

    England and Wales · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Macdara

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #204 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1964–2025

    Highest recorded position: #204 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys