Cara vs Niamh
Cara and Niamhcompared 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 Niamh #47 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cara was ranked #52 and Niamh #90 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #196 and Niamh #76 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #454 and Niamh #193 among girls in England and Wales.
Cara and Niamh over time
Cara and Niamh appear together in 3 published lists, across 117 years of shared records. Niamh 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.
Niamh reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Cara moved ahead of Niamh in Northern Ireland · Girls — #44 and #26 the year before became #28 and #43.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cara and Niamh changed places 7 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #33 and #47.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Cara and Niamh averaged 16.0 places apart, ending at #33 and #47.
- Mirrored each other
Over 60 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Cara rose about as far as Niamh fell — from #344 and #56 in 1966 to #52 and #90 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Cara and Niamh were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 60 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #52 and #90.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cara #140 in 2001, Niamh #40 in 2000.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Niamh in 49.
Highest recorded here: Cara #27 in 2023, Niamh #2 in 1993.
The order changed in 2015: Cara moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #35 and #34; by 2015 that had become #36 and #42.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #52, Niamh #90.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Niamh in 29.
Highest recorded here: Cara #140 in 2001, Niamh #40 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #454, Niamh #193.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Niamh in 21.
Highest recorded here: Cara #19 in 2007, Niamh #5 in 2005.
The order changed in 2023: Cara moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #44 and #26; by 2023 that had become #28 and #43.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #33, Niamh #47.
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 | Niamh |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Traditionally interpreted as 'bright' or 'radiant'. In Irish mythology, Niamh was daughter of the sea god Manannán mac Lir, who fell in love with the poet Oisín. |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish | Irish (mythological) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑɹ.ə/ | /ˈnʲiːvˠ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Caragh | Neve, Níam |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| 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 Niamh is recorded with a Irish (mythological) origin.
- Cara has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Niamh.
- Cara's recorded meaning differs from Niamh'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
Niamh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #109 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls