Cara vs Davina
Cara and Davinacompared 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 2002, Cara was ranked #34 and Davina #339 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cara was ranked #52 and Davina #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #196 and Davina #790 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Cara was ranked #468 and Davina #763 among girls in England and Wales.
Cara and Davina over time
Cara and Davina appear together in 2 published lists, across 66 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Davina 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.
Davina 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.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Cara and Davina were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #468 and #763.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cara #140 in 2001, Davina #323 in 2001.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls36 shared years, 1967–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Davina in 1.
Highest recorded here: Cara #50 in 2011, Davina #254 in 1977.
The order changed in 1979: Cara moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #266 and #266; by 1979 that had become #230 and #273.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #52, Davina #885.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Davina in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #140 in 2001, Davina #323 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #468, Davina #763.
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 | Cara | Davina |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Caragh | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #763 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Cara has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish); Davina does not have one recorded yet.
- Cara has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Davina.
- A meaning is recorded for Cara; Davina doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives Cara a "high" Data Confidence level and Davina 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 #468 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Davina
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #354 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #254 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1977 (recorded 1967–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #763 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls