Dara vs Odhran
Dara and Odhrancompared 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 · Boys
In 2024, Dara was ranked #89 and Odhran #40 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Dara was ranked #108 and Odhran #130 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Dara was ranked #535 and Odhran #169 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Dara was ranked #1025 and Odhran #1000 among boys in England and Wales.
Dara and Odhran over time
Dara and Odhran appear together in 3 published lists, across 99 years of shared records. Dara held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Odhran in 1.
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 3 of those lists, and Odhran 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 Odhran changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1999 and 2024, ending at #1025 and #1000.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Dara and Odhran averaged 55.3 places apart, ending at #89 and #40.
- Longest-running competitions
Dara and Odhran were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 49 years, from 1971 to 2025, ending at #108 and #130.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Dara #779 in 2023, Odhran #1000 in 2024.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys49 shared years, 1971–2025
Dara held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Odhran in 9.
Highest recorded here: Dara #72 in 2010, Odhran #58 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Dara #108, Odhran #130.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Dara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Odhran in 28.
Highest recorded here: Dara #74 in 2007, Odhran #35 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dara #89, Odhran #40.
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 1999–2024
Dara held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Odhran in 2.
Highest recorded here: Dara #779 in 2023, Odhran #1000 in 2024.
The order changed in 2024: Odhran moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #779 and #1461; by 2024 that had become #1025 and #1000.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dara #1025, Odhran #1000.
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 | Odhran |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From Old Irish Odrán, combining 'odar' (dun-coloured, greyish-brown, tan) with a diminutive suffix — 'little dun/ashen one'. Borne by St Patrick's charioteer Odrán and by St Odhrán (Oran) of Iona, companion of St Columba. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish (medieval) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈəu̯.ɾˠaːnˠ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Odhrán, Odran, Oran, Orin, Orrin |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #108 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #130 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Odhran has a recorded origin (Irish (medieval)); Dara does not have one recorded yet.
- Dara and Odhran both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Odhran; Dara doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives Dara a "medium" Data Confidence level and Odhran a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
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
Odhran
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #257 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #35 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2022 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #130 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys