Cara vs Imogen
Cara and Imogencompared 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 2024, Cara was ranked #33 and Imogen #119 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cara was ranked #52 and Imogen #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #454 and Imogen #64 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #196 and Imogen #97 among girls in Scotland.
Cara and Imogen over time
Cara and Imogen appear together in 3 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Imogen in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 Imogen were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 33 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #52 and #483.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Cara #19 in 2007, Imogen #103 in 2007.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1979–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Imogen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #27 in 2023, Imogen #255 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #52, Imogen #483.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Imogen in 29.
Highest recorded here: Cara #140 in 2001, Imogen #26 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #454, Imogen #64.
Northern Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1998–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Imogen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #19 in 2007, Imogen #103 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #33, Imogen #119.
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 | Imogen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (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); Imogen does not have one recorded yet.
- Cara has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Imogen.
- A meaning is recorded for Cara; Imogen 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 Imogen 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
Imogen
Popularity journey
First recorded1979
First recorded at #523 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #26 among girls in England and Wales, in 2010 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls