Barry vs Cecil

Barry and Cecilcompared 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 1988, Barry was ranked #36 and Cecil #271 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2022, Barry was ranked #4001 and Cecil #3048 among boys in England and Wales.

Barry and Cecil over time

Barry and Cecil appear together in 2 published lists, across 36 years of shared records. Barry held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cecil 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.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys18 shared years, 1996–2022
Barry held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Cecil in 1.
Highest recorded here: Barry #441 in 1996, Cecil #1889 in 2000.
The order changed in 2022: Cecil moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #2301 and #3990; by 2022 that had become #4001 and #3048.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Barry #4001, Cecil #3048.
Republic of Ireland · Boys18 shared years, 1965–1988
Barry held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Cecil in 0.
Highest recorded here: Barry #20 in 1978, Cecil #181 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1988: Barry #36, Cecil #271.

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 Barry

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

Gregory vs Barry
In 1964 they stood at #78 and #69 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 9 places apart; by 2025 they were #829 and #402.
Gregory · Barry · 60 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
Oliver vs Barry
In 1997 they stood at #100 and #90 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 10 places apart; by 2022 they were #6 and #414.
Oliver · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking
Oisin vs Barry
In 1997 they stood at #81 and #90 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 9 places apart; by 2022 they were #7 and #414.
Oisin · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking
Harry vs Barry
In 1997 they stood at #87 and #90 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2022 they were #8 and #414.
Harry · Barry · 21 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Barry, Cecil
Field	Barry	Cecil
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
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #402 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #2813 (2023)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Barry and Cecil both have 2 syllables.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Barry

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #17 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #402 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Cecil

Popularity journey

First recorded1965
First recorded at #181 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1965–1988
Highest recorded position: #181 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1965–1988).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #2813 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys