Barbara vs Tierna
Barbara and Tiernacompared 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 2023, Barbara was ranked #856 and Tierna #625 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Barbara and Tierna over time
Barbara and Tierna appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Barbara held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Tierna 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 Tierna 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Barbara and Tierna changed places 6 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 2003 and 2023, ending at #856 and #625.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls12 shared years, 2003–2023
Barbara held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Tierna in 4.
Highest recorded here: Barbara #439 in 2009, Tierna #625 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Barbara #856, Tierna #625.
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 | Tierna |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| 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 #2000 (2024) | Northern Ireland · Girls #407 (2024) |
| 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 2 for Tierna.
- 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 recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Tierna
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #145 among girls in Northern Ireland in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #139 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #407 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Girls