Cathaoir vs Ross
Cathaoir and Rosscompared 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 2023, Cathaoir was ranked #312 and Ross #395 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Cathaoir and Ross over time
Cathaoir and Ross appear together in 1 published list, across 20 years of shared records. Ross held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cathaoir 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.
Ross reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cathaoir 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.
List by list
Northern Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 1999–2023
Cathaoir held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Ross in 16.
Highest recorded here: Cathaoir #226 in 2019, Ross #37 in 1999.
The order changed in 2022: Cathaoir moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #334 and #231; by 2022 that had become #234 and #414.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cathaoir #312, Ross #395.
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 | Cathaoir | Ross |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Boys #339 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #329 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cathaoir has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ross.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Cathaoir
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #241 among boys in Northern Ireland in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1999–2024
Highest recorded position: #226 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2019 (recorded 1999–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #339 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Boys
Ross
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #36 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1985
Highest recorded position: #25 among boys in New Zealand, in 1957 (recorded 1954–1985).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys