Namewise

Colman vs Malachy

Colman and Malachycompared 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 2023, Colman was ranked #770 and Malachy #436 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2021, Colman was ranked #4789 and Malachy #1250 among boys in England and Wales.

Colman and Malachy over time

Colman and Malachy appear together in 1 published list, across 45 years of shared records. Malachy held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Colman 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.

Colman reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Malachy 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.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys45 shared years, 19642023

    Colman held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Malachy in 25.

    Highest recorded here: Colman #125 in 1964, Malachy #123 in 1968.

    The order changed in 2002: Malachy moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #347 and #409; by 2002 that had become #313 and #313.

    Most recent shared year, 2023: Colman #770, Malachy #436.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Colman, Malachy
FieldColmanMalachy
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables23
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, IEGB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Boys #770 (2023)Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)60/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Colman has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Malachy.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Colman

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #125 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

  2. Highest recorded1964–2023

    Highest recorded position: #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2023).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2023

    Most recently recorded at #770 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2023.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

Malachy

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #129 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

  2. Highest recorded1964–2025

    Highest recorded position: #123 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1968 (recorded 1964–2025).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys