Clive vs Columba
Clive and Columbacompared 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 1979, Clive was ranked #123 and Columba #269 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Clive and Columba over time
Clive and Columba appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Clive held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Columba 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.
Columba reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Clive 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 1965, Clive moved ahead of Columba in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #147 and #145 the year before became #148 and #194.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys10 shared years, 1964–1979
Clive held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Columba in 1.
Highest recorded here: Clive #106 in 1973, Columba #145 in 1964.
The order changed in 1965: Clive moved ahead. In 1964 they stood at #147 and #145; by 1965 that had become #148 and #194.
Most recent shared year, 1979: Clive #123, Columba #269.
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 | Clive | Columba |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #269 (1979) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Clive has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Columba.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Clive
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #147 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: #106 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1973 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Columba
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #145 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 recorded1964–1979
Highest recorded position: #145 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–1979).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent1979
Most recently recorded at #269 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1979.
Republic of Ireland · Boys