Cathy vs Gwen
Cathy and Gwencompared 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 2017, Cathy was ranked #873 and Gwen #579 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Cathy was ranked #5785 and Gwen #768 among girls in England and Wales.
Cathy and Gwen over time
Cathy and Gwen appear together in 2 published lists, across 51 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Cathy and Gwen changed places 13 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1969 and 2017, ending at #873 and #579.
- Longest-running competitions
Cathy and Gwen were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 38 years, from 1969 to 2017, ending at #873 and #579.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls38 shared years, 1969–2017
Cathy held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Gwen in 5.
Highest recorded here: Cathy #168 in 1986, Gwen #271 in 1976.
The order changed in 2017: Gwen moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #660 and #751; by 2017 that had become #873 and #579.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Cathy #873, Gwen #579.
England and Wales · Girls13 shared years, 1996–2016
Cathy held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Gwen in 13.
Highest recorded here: Cathy #1755 in 1996, Gwen #768 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Cathy #5785, Gwen #768.
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 | Cathy | Gwen |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #873 (2017) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cathy has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Gwen.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Cathy
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #96 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1960–1965
Highest recorded position: #92 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1965 (recorded 1960–1965).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #873 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2017.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Gwen
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #271 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1976 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls