Ciaran vs Gruffydd
Ciaran and Gruffyddcompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ciaran was ranked #800 and Gruffydd #1053 among boys in England and Wales.
Ciaran and Gruffydd over time
Ciaran and Gruffydd appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Ciaran held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Gruffydd in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ciaran reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Gruffydd 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
Ciaran and Gruffydd changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #800 and #1053.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ciaran held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Gruffydd in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ciaran #107 in 2004, Gruffydd #740 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ciaran #800, Gruffydd #1053.
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 | Ciaran | Gruffydd |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | The unaccented catalogue spelling of Ciarán, a diminutive of Ciar ('black, dark') — borne by two 6th-century Irish saints, Ciarán the Elder (founder of Saighir) and Ciarán the Younger (founder of Clonmacnoise). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish, from Old Irish ciar ('dark') | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈciə.ɾˠaːnˠ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Ciarán, Kieran, Kieron, Kyran | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #1053 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Ciaran has a recorded origin (Irish, from Old Irish ciar ('dark')); Gruffydd does not have one recorded yet.
- Ciaran and Gruffydd both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ciaran; Gruffydd doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
- The available evidence gives Ciaran a "high" Data Confidence level and Gruffydd a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Ciaran
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #49 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Gruffydd
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1591 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #740 among boys in England and Wales, in 2019 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1053 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys