Barra vs Kai
Barra and Kaicompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Barra was ranked #170 and Kai #34 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Barra was ranked #305 and Kai #69 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Barra and Kai over time
Barra and Kai appear together in 2 published lists, across 38 years of shared records. Kai held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Barra 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.
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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Barra #170 in 2025, Kai #30 in 2024.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys23 shared years, 1997–2025
Barra held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Kai in 22.
Highest recorded here: Barra #170 in 2025, Kai #30 in 2024.
The order changed in 2002: Kai moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #337 and #382; by 2002 that had become #348 and #226.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Barra #170, Kai #34.
Northern Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 2006–2024
Barra held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Kai in 15.
Highest recorded here: Barra #187 in 2018, Kai #52 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Barra #305, Kai #69.
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 | Barra | Kai |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | 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-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #170 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #23 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Barra has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Kai.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Barra
Popularity journey
First recorded1981
First recorded at #322 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1981 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #170 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025 (recorded 1981–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #170 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Kai
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #76 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2002–2025
Highest recorded position: #20 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 2002–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys