David vs Gregory
David and Gregorycompared 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.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1988, David was ranked #10 and Gregory #76 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1990, David was ranked #12 and Gregory #95 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Gregory #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2012, David was ranked #53 and Gregory #403 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Gregory #1460 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Gregory #727 among boys in Scotland.
David and Gregory over time
David and Gregory appear together in 4 published lists, across 163 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Gregory in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Gregory reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, David 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 39 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, David and Gregory averaged 24.9 places apart, ending at #12 and #95.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Gregory were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 39 years, from 1952 to 1990, ending at #12 and #95.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — David #32 in 1996, Gregory #117 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys60 shared years, 1964–2025
David held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Gregory in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1985, Gregory #72 in 1967.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Gregory #829.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys39 shared years, 1952–1990
David held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Gregory in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1961, Gregory #7 in 1954.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1990: David #12, Gregory #95.
New Zealand · Boys35 shared years, 1954–1988
David held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Gregory in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1960, Gregory #16 in 1960.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1988: David #10, Gregory #76.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Gregory in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Gregory #117 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Gregory #1460.
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 | Gregory |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | From Latin Gregorius, from Late Greek Gregorios, from 'gregoros' ('watchful, alert'), itself from 'egeiro' ('to awaken'). Borne by Saint Gregory the Illuminator and Pope Gregory I the Great. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | From Late Greek 'gregoros' ('watchful, alert'), via the Latin Gregorius |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈɡɹɛɡ.ə.ɹi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| 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, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| 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 Gregory is recorded with a From Late Greek 'gregoros' ('watchful, alert'), via the Latin Gregorius origin.
- David has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Gregory.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Gregory's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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
Gregory
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #9 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1990
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1954 (recorded 1952–1990).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys