Cara vs Priscilla
Cara and Priscillacompared 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 Priscilla #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #196 and Priscilla #790 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #454 and Priscilla #776 among girls in England and Wales.
Cara and Priscilla over time
Cara and Priscilla appear together in 2 published lists, across 67 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Priscilla in 0.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cara and Priscilla changed places 10 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1966 and 2025, ending at #52 and #718.
- Mirrored each other
Over 38 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Cara rose about as far as Priscilla fell — from #344 and #380 in 1966 to #52 and #718 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Cara and Priscilla were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 38 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #52 and #718.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cara #140 in 2001, Priscilla #750 in 2002.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls38 shared years, 1966–2025
Cara held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Priscilla in 2.
Highest recorded here: Cara #29 in 2018, Priscilla #247 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cara #52, Priscilla #718.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Priscilla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #140 in 2001, Priscilla #750 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #454, Priscilla #776.
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 | Priscilla |
|---|---|---|
| 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-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 70/100 |
| 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); Priscilla does not have one recorded yet.
- Cara has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Priscilla.
- A meaning is recorded for Cara; Priscilla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives Cara a "high" Data Confidence level and Priscilla 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
Priscilla
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 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 recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #247 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1981 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls