Catherine vs Ffion
Catherine and Ffioncompared 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 2024, Catherine was ranked #594 and Ffion #467 among girls in England and Wales.
Catherine and Ffion over time
Catherine and Ffion appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Catherine held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ffion 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.
Catherine reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ffion 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
Catherine and Ffion changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #594 and #467.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Catherine and Ffion averaged 53.7 places apart, ending at #594 and #467.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Catherine #68 in 1996, Ffion #148 in 1998.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Catherine held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Ffion in 13.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #68 in 1996, Ffion #148 in 1998.
The order changed in 2018: Ffion moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #313 and #320; by 2018 that had become #419 and #330.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Catherine #594, Ffion #467.
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 | Catherine | Ffion |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #273 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #467 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Catherine has 4 syllables, compared with 1 for Ffion.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Catherine
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #366 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #273 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Ffion
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #209 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #148 among girls in England and Wales, in 1998 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #467 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls