Cathriona vs Shelly
Cathriona and Shellycompared 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 1999, Cathriona was ranked #392 and Shelly #439 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Cathriona and Shelly over time
Cathriona and Shelly appear together in 1 published list, across 9 years of shared records. Cathriona held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shelly in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Cathriona reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Shelly 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
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 1973–1999
Cathriona held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Shelly in 1.
Highest recorded here: Cathriona #180 in 1981, Shelly #326 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1999: Cathriona #392, Shelly #439.
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 | Cathriona | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #392 (1999) | England and Wales · Girls #4634 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cathriona has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Shelly.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Cathriona
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #215 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1999
Highest recorded position: #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1981 (recorded 1964–1999).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1999
Most recently recorded at #392 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1999.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Shelly
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #508 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1973–2016
Highest recorded position: #326 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1973–2016).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #4634 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Girls