Bailie vs Kirk
Bailie and Kirkcompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2004, Bailie was ranked #264 and Kirk #264 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2018, Bailie was ranked #4749 and Kirk #3959 among boys in England and Wales.
Bailie and Kirk over time
Bailie and Kirk appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Kirk held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bailie in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Kirk reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Bailie 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
England and Wales · Boys19 shared years, 1997–2018
Bailie held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Kirk in 16.
Highest recorded here: Bailie #1851 in 2005, Kirk #463 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Bailie #4749, Kirk #3959.
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 | Bailie | Kirk |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #5137 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Bailie has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Kirk.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Bailie
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3126 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2013
Highest recorded position: #224 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1997–2013).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Kirk
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #278 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 recorded1997–2004
Highest recorded position: #206 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1997–2004).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5137 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys