Cairan vs Nils
Cairan and Nilscompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2016, Cairan was ranked #4023 and Nils #4810 among boys in England and Wales.
Cairan and Nils over time
Cairan and Nils appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Nils held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cairan 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.
Cairan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Nils 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 · Boys13 shared years, 1996–2016
Cairan held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Nils in 10.
Highest recorded here: Cairan #1761 in 1997, Nils #1746 in 2001.
The order changed in 2016: Cairan moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #4747 and #2319; by 2016 that had become #4023 and #4810.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Cairan #4023, Nils #4810.
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 | Cairan | Nils |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #4991 (2023) | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cairan has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Nils.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Cairan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2863 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4991 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys