Catherine vs Islay
Catherine and Islaycompared 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.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Catherine was ranked #260 and Islay #244 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Catherine was ranked #594 and Islay #3015 among girls in England and Wales.
Catherine and Islay over time
Catherine and Islay appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Catherine held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Islay in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Catherine reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Islay 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
England and Wales · Girls26 shared years, 1997–2024
Catherine held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Islay in 0.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #74 in 1997, Islay #1649 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Catherine #594, Islay #3015.
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 | Islay |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| 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, GB-SCT |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #273 (2025) | Scotland · Girls #244 (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 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Catherine has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Islay.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT.
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
Islay
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #3174 among girls in England and Wales in 1997 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3015 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls