David vs Shea
David and Sheacompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Shea #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #104 and Shea #51 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Shea #1322 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Shea #619 among boys in Scotland.
David and Shea over time
David and Shea appear together in 3 published lists, across 88 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Shea 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.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Shea 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, Shea moved into the top 50 at #33 in 2012 as David fell out of it to #53, having been #48 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2012, Shea moved ahead of David in Northern Ireland · Boys — #48 and #55 the year before became #53 and #33.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, David and Shea averaged 29.0 places apart, ending at #104 and #51.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Shea were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 31 years, from 1976 to 2025, ending at #45 and #125.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys31 shared years, 1976–2025
David held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Shea in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #2 in 1976, Shea #125 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Shea #125.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shea in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Shea #308 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Shea #1322.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
David held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Shea in 19.
Highest recorded here: David #9 in 1997, Shea #25 in 2007.
The order changed in 2012: Shea moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #48 and #55; by 2012 that had become #53 and #33.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #104, Shea #51.
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 | Shea |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The Anglicized form of Séaghdha, occasionally used as a feminine name as well. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈʃeɪ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Sé, Séaghdha, Shay |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (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 | high |
What the data shows
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Shea is recorded with a Irish origin.
- David has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shea.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Shea's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives David a "medium" Data Confidence level and Shea a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
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
Shea
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #316 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — 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: #25 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys