Cathair vs Roman

Cathair and Romancompared 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 · Boys
In 2024, Cathair was ranked #239 and Roman #108 among boys in Northern Ireland.

Cathair and Roman over time

Cathair and Roman appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Roman held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cathair in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Cathair reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Roman 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 2020, Roman moved ahead of Cathair in Northern Ireland · Boys — #197 and #312 the year before became #334 and #139.
Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cathair and Roman changed places 7 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 2008 and 2024, ending at #239 and #108.
Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Cathair #192 in 2022, Roman #108 in 2024.

List by list

Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2008–2024
Cathair held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Roman in 6.
Highest recorded here: Cathair #192 in 2022, Roman #108 in 2024.
The order changed in 2020: Roman moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #197 and #312; by 2020 that had become #334 and #139.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cathair #239, Roman #108.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Roman

Pairs where Roman shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Adam vs Roman
Adam and Roman averaged 17.5 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 205 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Adam · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
Jordan vs Roman
Jordan and Roman averaged 18.8 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 220 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Jordan · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
Hugo vs Roman
In England and Wales · Boys, Roman moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2020 as Hugo fell out of it to #51, having been #48 the year before.
Hugo · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2020 England and Wales ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Cathair, Roman
Field	Cathair	Roman
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Editorially researched profile
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.
Origin	Not yet recorded	Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	/ˈro.man/
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	GB-NIR, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Northern Ireland · Boys #239 (2024)	New South Wales, Australia · Boys #50 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	82/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	60/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Roman has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages); Cathair does not have one recorded yet.
Cathair and Roman both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Roman; Cathair doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.

How each name got here

Cathair

Popularity journey

First recorded1998
First recorded at #207 among boys in Northern Ireland in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #164 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #239 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Boys

Roman

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #333 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys