Clive vs Sylvester
Clive and Sylvestercompared 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 1992, Clive was ranked #222 and Sylvester #298 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Clive was ranked #2443 and Sylvester #2443 among boys in England and Wales.
Clive and Sylvester over time
Clive and Sylvester appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Clive and Sylvester changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #2443 and #2443.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1996–2024
Clive held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Sylvester in 15.
Highest recorded here: Clive #788 in 1997, Sylvester #1290 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clive #2443, Sylvester #2443.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 1964–1992
Clive held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Sylvester in 0.
Highest recorded here: Clive #106 in 1973, Sylvester #148 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1992: Clive #222, Sylvester #298.
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 | Sylvester |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2443 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Clive has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sylvester.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Sylvester
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #181 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 recorded1964–1992
Highest recorded position: #148 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–1992).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2443 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys