Caimin vs Mason
Caimin and Masoncompared 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 2016, Caimin was ranked #713 and Mason #43 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Caimin and Mason over time
Caimin and Mason appear together in 1 published list, across 11 years of shared records. Mason held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Caimin 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.
Caimin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Mason 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
Republic of Ireland · Boys11 shared years, 1993–2016
Caimin held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Mason in 7.
Highest recorded here: Caimin #302 in 1993, Mason #43 in 2016.
The order changed in 2007: Mason moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #423 and #493; by 2007 that had become #629 and #241.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Caimin #713, Mason #43.
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 | Caimin | Mason |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Originally an occupational surname/vocabulary word meaning 'stoneworker', later adopted as a given name. The deeper root of the word itself is disputed among etymologists — a Germanic (Frankish) origin versus an alternative Medieval Latin source. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English surname, from Old French masson/macon |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmeɪsən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #713 (2016) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #56 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mason has a recorded origin (English surname, from Old French masson/macon); Caimin does not have one recorded yet.
- Caimin and Mason both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Mason; Caimin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Caimin
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #256 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1966–2016
Highest recorded position: #256 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1966 (recorded 1966–2016).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2016
Most recently recorded at #713 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2016.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Mason
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #339 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded2000–2023
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in New Zealand, in 2014 (recorded 2000–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #56 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys