Ben vs Dillon
Ben and Dilloncompared 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, Ben was ranked #40 and Dillon #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1992, Ben was ranked #78 and Dillon #93 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Ben was ranked #121 and Dillon #619 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Ben was ranked #145 and Dillon #395 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ben was ranked #509 and Dillon #826 among boys in England and Wales.
Ben and Dillon over time
Ben and Dillon appear together in 3 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Ben held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Dillon in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Dillon reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Ben in 1. 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Ben and Dillon were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 42 years, from 1980 to 2025, ending at #40 and #829.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Ben #21 in 2002, Dillon #158 in 2004.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys42 shared years, 1980–2025
Ben held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Dillon in 1.
Highest recorded here: Ben #14 in 2005, Dillon #86 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ben #40, Dillon #829.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ben held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Dillon in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ben #21 in 2002, Dillon #158 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ben #509, Dillon #826.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1997–2023
Ben held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Dillon in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ben #6 in 2004, Dillon #104 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ben #145, Dillon #395.
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 | Ben | Dillon |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A short form of Benjamin, Benedict and other names beginning with 'Ben'; in Dutch, can also be short for Bernhard. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Hebrew/Germanic, short form | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛn/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #40 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ben has a recorded origin (Hebrew/Germanic, short form); Dillon does not have one recorded yet.
- Ben has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Dillon.
- A meaning is recorded for Ben; Dillon doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Ben
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #376 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #40 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Dillon
Popularity journey
First recorded1980
First recorded at #321 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1980 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1980–2025
Highest recorded position: #86 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1980–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys