Dara vs Pauline
Dara and Paulinecompared 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 · Girls
In 2018, Dara was ranked #299 and Pauline #896 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Dara was ranked #2574 and Pauline #4843 among girls in England and Wales.
Dara and Pauline over time
Dara and Pauline appear together in 2 published lists, across 66 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Pauline reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Dara 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 Pauline changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #2574 and #4843.
- Longest-running competitions
Dara and Pauline were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 39 years, from 1966 to 2018, ending at #299 and #896.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Dara #1393 in 1999, Pauline #1076 in 1998.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls39 shared years, 1966–2018
Dara held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Pauline in 26.
Highest recorded here: Dara #175 in 1969, Pauline #28 in 1966.
The order changed in 1996: Dara moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #327 and #296; by 1996 that had become #259 and #279.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Dara #299, Pauline #896.
England and Wales · Girls27 shared years, 1996–2024
Dara held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Pauline in 9.
Highest recorded here: Dara #1393 in 1999, Pauline #1076 in 1998.
The order changed in 2011: Dara moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #2843 and #2589; by 2011 that had become #1903 and #4764.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dara #2574, Pauline #4843.
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 | Pauline |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #108 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #4843 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Dara has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Pauline.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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
Pauline
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #396 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2018
Highest recorded position: #12 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2018).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls