Cara vs Lily
Cara and Lilycompared 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 · Girls
In 2025, Cara was ranked #52 and Lily #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #454 and Lily #3 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #196 and Lily #4 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #33 and Lily #6 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Cara and Lily over time
Cara and Lily appear together in 3 published lists, across 91 years of shared records. Lily held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Cara in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Cara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Lily 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2010, Lily moved ahead of Cara in Northern Ireland · Girls — #23 and #28 the year before became #23 and #15.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Cara and Lily averaged 49.5 places apart, ending at #33 and #6.
- Longest-running competitions
Cara and Lily were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 36 years, from 1981 to 2025, ending at #52 and #1.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Cara #27 in 2023, Lily #1 in 2025.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls36 shared years, 1981–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Lily in 24.
Highest recorded here: Cara #27 in 2023, Lily #1 in 2025.
The order changed in 2001: Lily moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #92 and #120; by 2001 that had become #91 and #91.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #52, Lily #1.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Lily in 29.
Highest recorded here: Cara #140 in 2001, Lily #3 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #454, Lily #3.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1999–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Lily in 15.
Highest recorded here: Cara #19 in 2007, Lily #5 in 2011.
The order changed in 2010: Lily moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #23 and #28; by 2010 that had become #23 and #15.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #33, Lily #6.
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 | Lily |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | From the English word for the lily flower. |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish | English (flower name) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑɹ.ə/ | /ˈlɪli/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Caragh | Lil, Lilah, Lillie, Lilly, Lilian |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | high |
What the data shows
- Cara is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish origin, while Lily is recorded with a English (flower name) origin.
- Cara and Lily both have 2 syllables.
- Cara's recorded meaning differs from Lily's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
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
Lily
Popularity journey
First recorded1981
First recorded at #471 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1981 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025 (recorded 1981–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls