Dara vs Meg
Dara and Megcompared 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, Dara was ranked #202 and Meg #331 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Dara was ranked #347 and Meg #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Dara was ranked #1866 and Meg #3961 among girls in England and Wales.
Dara and Meg over time
Dara and Meg appear together in 2 published lists, across 44 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.
Dara reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Meg 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
Dara and Meg changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2021, ending at #1866 and #3961.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Dara #1393 in 1999, Meg #409 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls26 shared years, 1996–2021
Dara held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Meg in 16.
Highest recorded here: Dara #1393 in 1999, Meg #409 in 2001.
The order changed in 2017: Dara moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #2966 and #2966; by 2017 that had become #2201 and #3229.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Dara #1866, Meg #3961.
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1993–2019
Dara held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Meg in 3.
Highest recorded here: Dara #194 in 1999, Meg #269 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Dara #347, Meg #871.
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 | Dara | Meg |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | female |
| 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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #108 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3961 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Dara has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Meg.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Dara
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #155 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: #72 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #352 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Meg
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2019
Highest recorded position: #269 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1993–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #3961 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Girls