Averil vs Cara

Averil and Caracompared 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.

England and Wales · Girls
In 1996, Averil was ranked #3795 and Cara #156 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1990, Averil was ranked #517 and Cara #249 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Averil and Cara over time

Averil and Cara appear together in 1 published list, across 16 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Averil 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.

Cara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Averil 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 · Girls16 shared years, 1970–1990
Averil held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Cara in 15.
Highest recorded here: Averil #321 in 1979, Cara #190 in 1974.
The order changed in 1973: Cara moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #326 and #396; by 1973 that had become #449 and #248.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Averil #517, Cara #249.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Cara

Pairs where Cara shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Ashleigh vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #87 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2016 they were #440 and #23.
Ashleigh · Cara · 16 shared years, 1997–2016 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2016 Northern Ireland ranking
Jodie vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #77 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2021 they were #446 and #36.
Jodie · Cara · 23 shared years, 1997–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2021 Northern Ireland ranking
Kerry vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #83 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2020 they were #397 and #31.
Kerry · Cara · 18 shared years, 1997–2020 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2020 Northern Ireland ranking
Leanne vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #93 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2010 they were #366 and #23.
Leanne · Cara · 12 shared years, 1997–2010 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2010 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Averil, Cara
Field	Averil	Cara
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Editorially researched profile
Gender usage	female	female
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Genuinely dual-sourced: an Italian word meaning 'beloved', or independently an Irish word meaning 'friend' — Behind the Name records both without resolving between them.
Origin	Not yet recorded	Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	/ˈkɑɹ.ə/
Syllables	3	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Caragh
Recorded regional usage	GB-ENW, IE	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observation	England and Wales · Girls #3795 (1996)	Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	88/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	60/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	high

What the data shows

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

How each name got here

Averil

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #300 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 recorded1964–1990
Highest recorded position: #300 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–1990).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1990
Most recently recorded at #517 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1990.
Republic of Ireland · Girls

Cara

Popularity journey

First recorded1966
First recorded at #344 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — 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: #19 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls