Cara vs Cathleen

Cara and Cathleencompared 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 · Girls
In 2015, Cara was ranked #248 and Cathleen #5730 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1990, Cara was ranked #249 and Cathleen #446 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Cara and Cathleen over time

Cara and Cathleen appear together in 2 published lists, across 22 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cathleen 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.

Cathleen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cara 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 · Girls14 shared years, 1966–1990
Cara held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Cathleen in 3.
Highest recorded here: Cara #190 in 1974, Cathleen #310 in 1966.
The order changed in 1973: Cara moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #396 and #363; by 1973 that had become #248 and #402.
Most recent shared year, 1990: Cara #249, Cathleen #446.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2015
Cara held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Cathleen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #155 in 2000, Cathleen #3247 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Cara #248, Cathleen #5730.

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 Cara

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

Ashleigh vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #87 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2016 they were #440 and #23.
Ashleigh · Cara · 16 shared years, 1997–2016 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2016 Northern Ireland ranking
Jodie vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #77 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2021 they were #446 and #36.
Jodie · Cara · 23 shared years, 1997–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2021 Northern Ireland ranking
Kerry vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #83 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2020 they were #397 and #31.
Kerry · Cara · 18 shared years, 1997–2020 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2020 Northern Ireland ranking
Leanne vs Cara
In 1997 they stood at #93 and #85 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2010 they were #366 and #23.
Leanne · Cara · 12 shared years, 1997–2010 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2010 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Cara, Cathleen
Field	Cara	Cathleen
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	female	female
Meaning	Genuinely dual-sourced: an Italian word meaning 'beloved', or independently an Irish word meaning 'friend' — Behind the Name records both without resolving between them.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˈkɑɹ.ə/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Caragh	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025)	England and Wales · Girls #5730 (2015)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	76/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	high	medium

What the data shows

Cara has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish); Cathleen does not have one recorded yet.
Cara and Cathleen both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Cara; Cathleen doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
The available evidence gives Cara a "high" Data Confidence level and Cathleen a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Cara

Popularity journey

First recorded1966
First recorded at #344 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls

Cathleen

Popularity journey

First recorded1965
First recorded at #262 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 recorded1965–1990
Highest recorded position: #262 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1965–1990).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #5730 among girls in England and Wales, in 2015.
England and Wales · Girls