Colman vs Mel
Colman and Melcompared 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 2012, Colman was ranked #616 and Mel #616 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Colman and Mel over time
Colman and Mel appear together in 1 published list, across 30 years of shared records. Colman held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mel in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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
Colman and Mel changed places 9 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2012, ending at #616 and #616.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Colman and Mel averaged 46.1 places apart, ending at #616 and #616.
- Longest-running competitions
Colman and Mel were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 30 years, from 1964 to 2012, ending at #616 and #616.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Colman #125 in 1964, Mel #129 in 1964.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys30 shared years, 1964–2012
Colman held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Mel in 5.
Highest recorded here: Colman #125 in 1964, Mel #129 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Colman #616, Mel #616.
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 | Colman | Mel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| 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 #770 (2023) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Colman has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Mel.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Colman
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1964–2023
Highest recorded position: #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #770 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2023.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Mel
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1964–2012
Highest recorded position: #129 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2012).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls