Ashling vs Barbara
Ashling 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 2021, Ashling was ranked #764 and Barbara #883 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Ashling was ranked #5581 and Barbara #1351 among girls in England and Wales.
Ashling and Barbara over time
Ashling and Barbara appear together in 2 published lists, across 60 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.
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
Ashling and Barbara changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2021, ending at #764 and #883.
- Longest-running competitions
Ashling and Barbara were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 49 years, from 1964 to 2021, ending at #764 and #883.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls49 shared years, 1964–2021
Ashling held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Barbara in 20.
Highest recorded here: Ashling #76 in 1990, Barbara #43 in 1964.
The order changed in 2021: Ashling moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #734 and #734; by 2021 that had become #764 and #883.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ashling #764, Barbara #883.
England and Wales · Girls11 shared years, 1997–2021
Ashling held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Barbara in 11.
Highest recorded here: Ashling #2189 in 1999, Barbara #1040 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ashling #5581, Barbara #1351.
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 | Ashling | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #764 (2021) | England and Wales · Girls #2000 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ashling has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Barbara.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Ashling
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #274 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2021
Highest recorded position: #76 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1990 (recorded 1964–2021).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #5581 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · 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 recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls