Caroline vs Deirdre
Caroline and Deirdrecompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 1999, Caroline was ranked #258 and Deirdre #3900 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Caroline was ranked #621 and Deirdre #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Caroline and Deirdre over time
Caroline and Deirdre appear together in 1 published list, across 51 years of shared records. Caroline held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Deirdre in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Deirdre reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Caroline 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Caroline and Deirdre changed places 12 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2019, ending at #621 and #871.
- Longest-running competitions
Caroline and Deirdre were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 51 years, from 1964 to 2019, ending at #621 and #871.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1964 they stood at #7 and #14 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2019 they were #621 and #871.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls51 shared years, 1964–2019
Caroline held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Deirdre in 12.
Highest recorded here: Caroline #3 in 1979, Deirdre #7 in 1966.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Caroline #621, Deirdre #871.
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 | Caroline | Deirdre |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #381 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #871 (2019) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Caroline has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Deirdre.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Caroline
Popularity journey
First recorded1957
First recorded at #94 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1979 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #392 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Deirdre
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #14 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 recorded1964–2019
Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1966 (recorded 1964–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2019.
Republic of Ireland · Girls