Chris vs Cillian
Chris and Cilliancompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Chris was ranked #432 and Cillian #9 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2019, Chris was ranked #418 and Cillian #14 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Chris was ranked #1132 and Cillian #177 among boys in England and Wales.
Chris and Cillian over time
Chris and Cillian appear together in 2 published lists, across 60 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.
Chris reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Cillian 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
Chris and Cillian changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #1132 and #177.
- Longest-running competitions
Chris and Cillian were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 31 years, from 1991 to 2025, ending at #432 and #9.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys31 shared years, 1991–2025
Chris held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Cillian in 31.
Highest recorded here: Chris #242 in 1998, Cillian #4 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Chris #432, Cillian #9.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Chris held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Cillian in 13.
Highest recorded here: Chris #572 in 2004, Cillian #177 in 2024.
The order changed in 2014: Cillian moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #676 and #730; by 2014 that had become #935 and #550.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Chris #1132, Cillian #177.
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 | Chris | Cillian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Probably from Old Irish 'cell' (church) combined with a diminutive suffix. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #432 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #9 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cillian has a recorded origin (Irish); Chris does not have one recorded yet.
- Chris has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Cillian.
- A meaning is recorded for Cillian; Chris doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Chris
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #358 among boys in Norway in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #87 among boys in Norway, in 1989 (recorded 1967–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #492 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Cillian
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #305 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys