Clare vs Gillian
Clare and Gilliancompared 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 · Girls
In 2003, Clare was ranked #173 and Gillian #331 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2015, Clare was ranked #532 and Gillian #751 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Clare was ranked #4192 and Gillian #3695 among girls in England and Wales.
Clare and Gillian over time
Clare and Gillian appear together in 2 published lists, across 74 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.
Gillian reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Clare 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
Clare and Gillian changed places 8 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2015, ending at #532 and #751.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 48 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Clare and Gillian averaged 36.0 places apart, ending at #532 and #751.
- Longest-running competitions
Clare and Gillian were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 48 years, from 1964 to 2015, ending at #532 and #751.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Clare #200 in 1996, Gillian #703 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls48 shared years, 1964–2015
Clare held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Gillian in 26.
Highest recorded here: Clare #45 in 1985, Gillian #27 in 1977.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Clare #532, Gillian #751.
England and Wales · Girls26 shared years, 1996–2024
Clare held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Gillian in 2.
Highest recorded here: Clare #200 in 1996, Gillian #703 in 1996.
The order changed in 2024: Gillian moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #2689 and #4709; by 2024 that had become #4192 and #3695.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clare #4192, Gillian #3695.
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 | Clare | Gillian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3695 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Clare and Gillian both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Clare
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #55 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #45 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Gillian
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #64 among girls in New Zealand in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2023
Highest recorded position: #27 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1977 (recorded 1964–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3695 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls