Cara vs Tierna
Cara and Tiernacompared 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 2023, Cara was ranked #27 and Tierna #625 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Cara was ranked #33 and Tierna #407 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Cara and Tierna over time
Cara and Tierna appear together in 2 published lists, across 36 years of shared records. Cara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Tierna in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Tierna 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Cara #27 in 2023, Tierna #625 in 2023.
List by list
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1998–2024
Cara held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Tierna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #19 in 2007, Tierna #139 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cara #33, Tierna #407.
Republic of Ireland · Girls13 shared years, 2003–2023
Cara held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Tierna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cara #27 in 2023, Tierna #625 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cara #27, Tierna #625.
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 | Tierna |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Caragh | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Girls #407 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Cara has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Italian, possibly Irish); Tierna does not have one recorded yet.
- Cara and Tierna both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Cara; Tierna doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
- The available evidence gives Cara a "high" Data Confidence level and Tierna 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
Tierna
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #145 among girls in Northern Ireland in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #139 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #407 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Girls