Cathal vs Rhys
Cathal and Rhyscompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Cathal was ranked #90 and Rhys #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Cathal was ranked #136 and Rhys #305 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2022, Cathal was ranked #3449 and Rhys #277 among boys in England and Wales.
Cathal and Rhys over time
Cathal and Rhys appear together in 3 published lists, across 87 years of shared records. Rhys held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cathal in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Cathal reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Rhys 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
Cathal and Rhys changed places 6 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2024, ending at #136 and #305.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Cathal and Rhys averaged 54.9 places apart, ending at #136 and #305.
- Longest-running competitions
Cathal and Rhys were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 36 years, from 1988 to 2025, ending at #90 and #179.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys36 shared years, 1988–2025
Cathal held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Rhys in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cathal #31 in 1998, Rhys #65 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cathal #90, Rhys #179.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Cathal held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Rhys in 22.
Highest recorded here: Cathal #78 in 1997, Rhys #25 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cathal #136, Rhys #305.
England and Wales · Boys23 shared years, 1996–2022
Cathal held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Rhys in 23.
Highest recorded here: Cathal #809 in 1997, Rhys #49 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Cathal #3449, Rhys #277.
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 | Cathal | Rhys |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Behind the Name hedges the meaning with 'probably' — possibly derived from a root meaning 'ardour' or 'enthusiasm'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Welsh, from Old Welsh Ris |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /riːs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #90 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #179 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Rhys has a recorded origin (Welsh, from Old Welsh Ris); Cathal does not have one recorded yet.
- Cathal has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Rhys.
- A meaning is recorded for Rhys; Cathal doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Cathal
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #96 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #31 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Rhys
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #85 among boys in New Zealand in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #25 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys