Cillian vs Sami
Cillian and Samicompared 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 2025, Cillian was ranked #9 and Sami #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Cillian was ranked #83 and Sami #432 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Cillian was ranked #177 and Sami #297 among boys in England and Wales.
Cillian and Sami over time
Cillian and Sami appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Sami reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 23 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cillian rose about as far as Sami fell — from #89 and #334 in 1995 to #9 and #829 in 2025.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cillian held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Sami in 21.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #177 in 2024, Sami #239 in 2005.
The order changed in 2017: Cillian moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #380 and #318; by 2017 that had become #324 and #326.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cillian #177, Sami #297.
Republic of Ireland · Boys23 shared years, 1995–2025
Cillian held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Sami in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cillian #4 in 2024, Sami #334 in 1995.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cillian #9, Sami #829.
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 | Sami |
|---|---|---|
| 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, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #9 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cillian has a recorded origin (Irish); Sami does not have one recorded yet.
- Cillian and Sami both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Cillian; Sami doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Sami
Popularity journey
First recorded1962
First recorded at #506 among boys in Norway in 1962 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #239 among boys in England and Wales, in 2005 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys