Chulainn vs Kenneth
Chulainn and Kennethcompared 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 2024, Chulainn was ranked #785 and Kenneth #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Chulainn and Kenneth over time
Chulainn and Kenneth appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Kenneth held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Chulainn in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Kenneth reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Chulainn 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
Chulainn and Kenneth changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 2003 and 2024, ending at #785 and #785.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 2003–2024
Chulainn held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Kenneth in 8.
Highest recorded here: Chulainn #430 in 2012, Kenneth #184 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Chulainn #785, Kenneth #785.
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 | Chulainn | Kenneth |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | An Anglicized form of both Coinneach and Cináed, of Scottish Gaelic origin. Borne by the Scottish king Kenneth mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Scottish Gaelic |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈkɛn.əθ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #577 (2025) | Scotland · Boys #535 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kenneth has a recorded origin (Scottish Gaelic); Chulainn does not have one recorded yet.
- Chulainn and Kenneth both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kenneth; Chulainn doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Chulainn
Popularity journey
First recorded2003
First recorded at #500 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 2003 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Kenneth
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #303 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2021
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1945–2021).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #968 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys