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Bethany vs Holly

Bethany and Holly compared 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.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Girls

    In 2004, Bethany was ranked #100 and Holly #21 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls

    In 2025, Bethany was ranked #544 and Holly #69 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

  • Scotland · Girls

    In 2024, Bethany was ranked #384 and Holly #79 among girls in Scotland.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls

    In 2024, Bethany was ranked #253 and Holly #105 among girls in Northern Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2025, Bethany was ranked #585 and Holly #169 among girls in England and Wales.

Bethany and Holly over time

Republic of Ireland · Girls
#30#100#30019912025Bethany #544Holly #691991: Bethany #457, Holly #1761994: Bethany #350, Holly #941995: Bethany #352, Holly #741996: Bethany #393, Holly #671997: Bethany #440, Holly #651998: Bethany #380, Holly #751999: Bethany #267, Holly #462000: Bethany #251, Holly #532001: Bethany #225, Holly #492002: Bethany #197, Holly #352003: Bethany #179, Holly #282004: Bethany #257, Holly #252005: Bethany #347, Holly #292006: Bethany #367, Holly #332007: Bethany #307, Holly #322008: Bethany #341, Holly #262009: Bethany #331, Holly #212010: Bethany #319, Holly #112011: Bethany #285, Holly #232012: Bethany #317, Holly #192013: Bethany #273, Holly #242014: Bethany #427, Holly #212015: Bethany #462, Holly #282016: Bethany #335, Holly #232017: Bethany #524, Holly #272018: Bethany #474, Holly #232019: Bethany #362, Holly #212020: Bethany #544, Holly #282021: Bethany #517, Holly #312022: Bethany #357, Holly #422023: Bethany #445, Holly #402024: Bethany #556, Holly #392025: Bethany #544, Holly #69

Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.

England and Wales · Girls
#30#100#30019962025Bethany #585Holly #1691996: Bethany #13, Holly #231997: Bethany #14, Holly #231998: Bethany #14, Holly #231999: Bethany #11, Holly #232000: Bethany #13, Holly #182001: Bethany #17, Holly #182002: Bethany #17, Holly #122003: Bethany #24, Holly #132004: Bethany #28, Holly #172005: Bethany #40, Holly #192006: Bethany #43, Holly #182007: Bethany #50, Holly #202008: Bethany #55, Holly #222009: Bethany #53, Holly #192010: Bethany #59, Holly #252011: Bethany #64, Holly #262012: Bethany #73, Holly #252013: Bethany #77, Holly #332014: Bethany #86, Holly #392015: Bethany #85, Holly #442016: Bethany #103, Holly #522017: Bethany #122, Holly #562018: Bethany #140, Holly #562019: Bethany #179, Holly #722020: Bethany #226, Holly #812021: Bethany #227, Holly #952022: Bethany #284, Holly #1082023: Bethany #304, Holly #1352024: Bethany #539, Holly #1372025: Bethany #585, Holly #169

Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.

Bethany and Holly over time

Bethany and Holly appear together in 4 published lists, across 101 years of shared records. Holly held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Bethany 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.

Bethany reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Holly 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 moved ahead of the other

    In 2002, Holly moved ahead of Bethany in England and Wales · Girls — #17 and #18 the year before became #17 and #12.

  • Closest over the longest run

    Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Bethany and Holly averaged 49.9 places apart, ending at #253 and #105.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Bethany and Holly were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #585 and #169.

  • Started together, ended far apart

    In 1996 they stood at #13 and #23 in England and Wales · Girls, 10 places apart; by 2025 they were #585 and #169.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1991–2025

    Bethany held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Holly in 33.

    Highest recorded here: Bethany #179 in 2003, Holly #11 in 2010.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Bethany #544, Holly #69.

  • England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025

    Bethany held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Holly in 24.

    Highest recorded here: Bethany #11 in 1999, Holly #12 in 2002.

    The order changed in 2002: Holly moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #17 and #18; by 2002 that had become #17 and #12.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Bethany #585, Holly #169.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024

    Bethany held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Holly in 25.

    Highest recorded here: Bethany #32 in 1998, Holly #22 in 2003.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Bethany #253, Holly #105.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Girls10 shared years, 1994–2004

    Bethany held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Holly in 10.

    Highest recorded here: Bethany #73 in 1997, Holly #19 in 2003.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2004: Bethany #100, Holly #21.

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 Bethany

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

Other comparisons involving Holly

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

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — started together, ended far apart.

All started together, ended far apart →

Other pairs from England and Wales lists

Pairs measured inside England and Wales's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

England and Wales overview →

Other pairs ranked together in the 2020s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2020 and 2029.

The 2020s across all registrars →

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Bethany, Holly
FieldBethanyHolly
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recorded
Syllables32
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageNew South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of IrelandNew South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Girls #544 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Girls #69 (2025)
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Bethany has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Holly.
  • Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.

How each name got here

Bethany

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1991

    First recorded at #457 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1996–2025

    Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2025).

    England and Wales · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #585 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

Holly

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1976

    First recorded at #392 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1976–2025

    Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 1976–2025).

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #169 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls