Barbara vs Naoimh
Barbara and Naoimhcompared 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 1997, Barbara was ranked #363 and Naoimh #576 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Barbara and Naoimh over time
Barbara and Naoimh appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Naoimh in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Barbara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Naoimh 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 · Girls21 shared years, 1964–1997
Barbara held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Naoimh in 0.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #43 in 1964, Naoimh #262 in 1973.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Barbara #363, Naoimh #576.
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 | Barbara | Naoimh |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ | GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2440 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Girls #426 (2015) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Barbara has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Naoimh.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
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 recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Naoimh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #327 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 recorded1997–2015
Highest recorded position: #248 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 1997–2015).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #426 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2015.
Northern Ireland · Girls