David vs Finn
David and Finncompared 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, David was ranked #104 and Finn #15 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Finn #15 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Finn #17 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2020, David was ranked #84 and Finn #25 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2018, David was ranked #97 and Finn #40 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Finn #83 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Finn #153 among boys in Norway.
David and Finn over time
David and Finn appear together in 6 published lists, across 213 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Finn in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Finn in 1. 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Boys, Finn moved into the top 50 at #49 in 2004 as David fell out of it to #51, having been #49 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2009, Finn moved ahead of David in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #65 and #76 the year before became #87 and #80.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, David and Finn averaged 27.5 places apart, ending at #84 and #25.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Finn rose about as far as David fell — from #32 and #261 in 1996 to #64 and #83 in 2024.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Finn were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #153.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 54 of those years, Finn in 27.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Finn #31 in 1945.
The order changed in 1972: David moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #138 and #117; by 1972 that had become #104 and #130.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Finn #153.
Republic of Ireland · Boys41 shared years, 1982–2025
David held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Finn in 10.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1987, Finn #6 in 2020.
The order changed in 2016: Finn moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #23 and #30; by 2016 that had become #27 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Finn #15.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Finn in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Finn #72 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Finn #83.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
David held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Finn in 13.
Highest recorded here: David #9 in 1997, Finn #7 in 2020.
The order changed in 2013: Finn moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #53 and #56; by 2013 that had become #69 and #39.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #104, Finn #15.
New Zealand · Boys23 shared years, 1998–2020
David held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Finn in 17.
Highest recorded here: David #29 in 1998, Finn #25 in 2020.
The order changed in 2004: Finn moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #49 and #52; by 2004 that had become #51 and #49.
Most recent shared year, 2020: David #84, Finn #25.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys11 shared years, 2005–2018
David held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Finn in 8.
Highest recorded here: David #65 in 2008, Finn #40 in 2018.
The order changed in 2009: Finn moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #65 and #76; by 2009 that had become #87 and #80.
Most recent shared year, 2018: David #97, Finn #40.
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 | David | Finn |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | Traditionally associated with the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill; functions as the usual Anglicised spelling of the Irish name Fionn. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /fɪn/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Finn is recorded with a Irish origin.
- David has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Finn.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Finn's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Finn
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #31 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2020 (recorded 1982–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys