David vs Jude
David and Judecompared 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 Jude #6 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Jude #11 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Jude #12 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Jude #61 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2018, David was ranked #97 and Jude #91 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
David and Jude over time
David and Jude appear together in 3 published lists, across 109 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Jude in 0.
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.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Jude 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Northern Ireland · Boys, Jude moved into the top 50 at #35 in 2012 as David fell out of it to #53, having been #48 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2020, Jude moved ahead of David in England and Wales · Boys — #56 and #57 the year before became #60 and #53.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, David and Jude averaged 55.8 places apart, ending at #104 and #6.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Jude rose about as far as David fell — from #32 and #654 in 1996 to #64 and #11 in 2024.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Jude were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 52 years, from 1965 to 2025, ending at #45 and #61.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys52 shared years, 1965–2025
David held the stronger position in 52 of those years, Jude in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1987, Jude #61 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Jude #61.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Jude in 5.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Jude #11 in 2024.
The order changed in 2020: Jude moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #56 and #57; by 2020 that had become #60 and #53.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Jude #11.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
David held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Jude in 14.
Highest recorded here: David #9 in 1997, Jude #6 in 2024.
The order changed in 2012: Jude moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #48 and #54; by 2012 that had become #53 and #35.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #104, Jude #6.
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 | Jude |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Commonly interpreted through its Hebrew root as connected to 'praise', via its relationship to Judah — Behind the Name frames it more narrowly as a variant of Judas. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Hebrew, via Greek and Latin New Testament forms |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /dʒuːd/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| 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 |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #54 (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 Jude is recorded with a Hebrew, via Greek and Latin New Testament forms origin.
- David and Jude both have 2 syllables.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Jude's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
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
Jude
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #234 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #54 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys