Beau vs Harry
Beau and Harrycompared 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 2024, Beau was ranked #164 and Harry #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Beau was ranked #110 and Harry #20 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Beau was ranked #22 and Harry #40 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Beau was ranked #25 and Harry #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Beau was ranked #152 and Harry #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Beau was ranked #160 and Harry #31 among boys in Scotland.
Beau and Harry over time
Beau and Harry appear together in 5 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Harry held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Beau 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.
Harry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Beau 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Boys, Beau moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2021 as Harry fell out of it to #58, having been #39 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Beau moved ahead of Harry in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #44 and #32 the year before became #37 and #41.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Beau and Harry averaged 32.3 places apart, ending at #25 and #39.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Harry in 29.
Highest recorded here: Beau #109 in 2023, Harry #1 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Beau #110, Harry #20.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys23 shared years, 1992–2025
Beau held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Harry in 19.
Highest recorded here: Beau #25 in 2025, Harry #15 in 2018.
The order changed in 2023: Beau moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #44 and #32; by 2023 that had become #37 and #41.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Beau #25, Harry #39.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2004–2025
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Harry in 19.
Highest recorded here: Beau #127 in 2023, Harry #6 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Beau #152, Harry #25.
Northern Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 2009–2024
Beau held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Harry in 14.
Highest recorded here: Beau #150 in 2021, Harry #4 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Beau #164, Harry #13.
New Zealand · Boys12 shared years, 2012–2023
Beau held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Harry in 8.
Highest recorded here: Beau #22 in 2023, Harry #22 in 2018.
The order changed in 2021: Beau moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #40 and #39; by 2021 that had become #37 and #58.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Beau #22, Harry #40.
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 | Beau | Harry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhæri/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #25 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Harry has a recorded origin (English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry); Beau does not have one recorded yet.
- Beau has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Harry.
- A meaning is recorded for Harry; Beau doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Beau
Popularity journey
First recorded1986
First recorded at #86 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1986 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded2012–2023
Highest recorded position: #22 among boys in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2012–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #25 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Harry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #70 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys