Cillian vs Harry
Cillian and Harrycompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Cillian was ranked #2 and Harry #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Cillian was ranked #9 and Harry #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Cillian was ranked #177 and Harry #20 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Cillian was ranked #83 and Harry #31 among boys in Scotland.
Cillian and Harry over time
Cillian and Harry appear together in 3 published lists, across 109 years of shared records. Harry held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Cillian in 1.
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.
Harry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Cillian moved ahead of Harry in Northern Ireland · Boys — #9 and #8 the year before became #4 and #18.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cillian and Harry changed places 8 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1972 and 2025, ending at #9 and #25.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 52 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cillian and Harry averaged 47.9 places apart, ending at #9 and #25.
- Longest-running competitions
Cillian and Harry were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 52 years, from 1972 to 2025, ending at #9 and #25.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys52 shared years, 1972–2025
Cillian held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Harry in 13.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #4 in 2024, Harry #6 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cillian #9, Harry #25.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cillian held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Harry in 29.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #177 in 2024, Harry #1 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cillian #177, Harry #20.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Cillian held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Harry in 24.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #2 in 2024, Harry #4 in 2012.
The order changed in 2023: Cillian moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #9 and #8; by 2023 that had become #4 and #18.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cillian #2, Harry #13.
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 | Cillian | Harry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Probably from Old Irish 'cell' (church) combined with a diminutive suffix. | A diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. |
| Origin | Irish | English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈhæri/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #9 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cillian is recorded with a Irish origin, while Harry is recorded with a English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry origin.
- Cillian and Harry both have 2 syllables.
- Cillian's recorded meaning differs from Harry's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
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
Harry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #70 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys