Catherine vs Lilly-May
Catherine and Lilly-Maycompared 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 · Girls
In 2021, Catherine was ranked #190 and Lilly-May #883 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Catherine was ranked #590 and Lilly-May #2138 among girls in England and Wales.
Catherine and Lilly-May over time
Catherine and Lilly-May appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Catherine held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Lilly-May 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 Lilly-May 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 · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2025
Catherine held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Lilly-May in 1.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #74 in 1997, Lilly-May #233 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Catherine #590, Lilly-May #2138.
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 | Lilly-May |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #273 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #2138 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Catherine has 4 syllables, compared with 3 for Lilly-May.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
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 #590 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Lilly-May
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #3824 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
Highest recorded1997–2025
Highest recorded position: #233 among girls in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1997–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2138 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls