Ciaran vs Sylvester
Ciaran and Sylvestercompared 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 1992, Ciaran was ranked #24 and Sylvester #298 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ciaran was ranked #800 and Sylvester #2443 among boys in England and Wales.
Ciaran and Sylvester over time
Ciaran and Sylvester appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Ciaran held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Sylvester in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 20 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Ciaran rose about as far as Sylvester fell — from #49 and #181 in 1964 to #24 and #298 in 1992.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1996–2024
Ciaran held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Sylvester in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ciaran #107 in 2004, Sylvester #1290 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ciaran #800, Sylvester #2443.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 1964–1992
Ciaran held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Sylvester in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ciaran #24 in 1992, Sylvester #148 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1992: Ciaran #24, Sylvester #298.
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 | Sylvester |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Ciarán, Kieran, Kieron, Kyran | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2443 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Ciaran has a recorded origin (Irish, from Old Irish ciar ('dark')); Sylvester does not have one recorded yet.
- Ciaran has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sylvester.
- A meaning is recorded for Ciaran; Sylvester doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
- The available evidence gives Ciaran a "high" Data Confidence level and Sylvester 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
Sylvester
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #181 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 recorded1964–1992
Highest recorded position: #148 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–1992).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2443 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys