Blathnaid vs Rua
Blathnaid and Ruacompared 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 · Girls
In 2024, Blathnaid was ranked #212 and Rua #192 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Blathnaid and Rua over time
Blathnaid and Rua appear together in 1 published list, across 8 years of shared records. Rua held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Blathnaid 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.
Blathnaid reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rua 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
Northern Ireland · Girls8 shared years, 2010–2024
Blathnaid held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Rua in 5.
Highest recorded here: Blathnaid #206 in 2017, Rua #192 in 2024.
The order changed in 2020: Rua moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #206 and #296; by 2020 that had become #281 and #246.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Blathnaid #212, Rua #192.
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 | Blathnaid | Rua |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Girls #212 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #329 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Blathnaid has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Rua.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Blathnaid
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #385 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #168 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2011 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #212 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Girls
Rua
Popularity journey
First recorded2008
First recorded at #698 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 2008 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2010–2024
Highest recorded position: #192 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 2010–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls