Cathair vs Saul
Cathair and Saulcompared 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 Saul #278 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2000, Cathair was ranked #390 and Saul #250 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Cathair and Saul over time
Cathair and Saul appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Saul 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.
Saul reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cathair 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
Cathair and Saul changed places 11 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1999 and 2024, ending at #239 and #278.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Cathair and Saul averaged 56.4 places apart, ending at #239 and #278.
List by list
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
Cathair held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Saul in 14.
Highest recorded here: Cathair #164 in 2004, Saul #186 in 1999.
The order changed in 2024: Cathair moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #395 and #272; by 2024 that had become #239 and #278.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cathair #239, Saul #278.
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 | Cathair | Saul |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Boys #239 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #1035 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cathair has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Saul.
- 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
Saul
Popularity journey
First recorded1992
First recorded at #337 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1992 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #186 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1999 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1035 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys