Brendan vs John-James
Brendan and John-Jamescompared 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 2023, Brendan was ranked #395 and John-James #395 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Brendan was ranked #1613 and John-James #3256 among boys in England and Wales.
Brendan and John-James over time
Brendan and John-James appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Brendan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, John-James in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Brendan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and John-James 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 · Boys19 shared years, 1998–2025
Brendan held the stronger position in 19 of those years, John-James in 0.
Highest recorded here: Brendan #157 in 1998, John-James #999 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Brendan #1613, John-James #3256.
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 | Brendan | John-James |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #402 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #3256 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 64/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Brendan has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for John-James.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Brendan
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #17 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1613 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
John-James
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #2419 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 recorded2011–2023
Highest recorded position: #237 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 2011–2023).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3256 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys