Cillian vs Obi
Cillian and Obicompared 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, Cillian was ranked #177 and Obi #968 among boys in England and Wales.
Cillian and Obi over time
Cillian and Obi appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Cillian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Obi in 0.
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.
Obi reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Cillian #177 in 2024, Obi #758 in 2022.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1998–2024
Cillian held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Obi in 1.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #177 in 2024, Obi #758 in 2022.
The order changed in 2001: Cillian moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #2943 and #2943; by 2001 that had become #1746 and #3134.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cillian #177, Obi #968.
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 | Obi |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Probably from Old Irish 'cell' (church) combined with a diminutive suffix. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #9 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #968 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cillian has a recorded origin (Irish); Obi does not have one recorded yet.
- Cillian and Obi both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Cillian; Obi doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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
Obi
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #2419 among boys in England and Wales in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #758 among boys in England and Wales, in 2022 (recorded 1998–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #968 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys