Barry vs Dawson

Barry and Dawsoncompared 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 2022, Barry was ranked #414 and Dawson #156 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Barry was ranked #402 and Dawson #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Barry was ranked #3254 and Dawson #560 among boys in England and Wales.

Barry and Dawson over time

Barry and Dawson appear together in 3 published lists, across 53 years of shared records. Dawson held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Barry in 0.

The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Barry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Dawson 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 · Boys26 shared years, 1998–2024
Barry held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Dawson in 19.
Highest recorded here: Barry #544 in 1998, Dawson #470 in 2015.
The order changed in 2004: Dawson moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #912 and #1188; by 2004 that had become #815 and #815.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Barry #3254, Dawson #560.
Republic of Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 2010–2025
Barry held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Dawson in 9.
Highest recorded here: Barry #245 in 2011, Dawson #226 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Barry #402, Dawson #432.
Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 1999–2022
Barry held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Dawson in 6.
Highest recorded here: Barry #126 in 1999, Dawson #156 in 2022.
The order changed in 2009: Dawson moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #266 and #328; by 2009 that had become #262 and #232.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Barry #414, Dawson #156.

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, Dawson
Field	Barry	Dawson
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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #402 (2025)	Republic of Ireland · Boys #432 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	88/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

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

Dawson

Popularity journey

First recorded1998
First recorded at #1642 among boys in England and Wales in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1999–2024
Highest recorded position: #126 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2023 (recorded 1999–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys