Declan vs Pearse
Declan and Pearsecompared 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, Declan was ranked #256 and Pearse #187 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2017, Declan was ranked #314 and Pearse #4812 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Declan was ranked #348 and Pearse #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Declan was ranked #404 and Pearse #535 among boys in Scotland.
Declan and Pearse over time
Declan and Pearse appear together in 3 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Declan held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Pearse 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 moved ahead of the other
In 2009, Pearse moved ahead of Declan in Northern Ireland · Boys — #107 and #129 the year before became #152 and #140.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Declan and Pearse changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1965 and 2025, ending at #348 and #509.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Declan and Pearse averaged 43.1 places apart, ending at #256 and #187.
- Longest-running competitions
Declan and Pearse were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 59 years, from 1965 to 2025, ending at #348 and #509.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Declan #69 in 1997, Pearse #1578 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys59 shared years, 1965–2025
Declan held the stronger position in 55 of those years, Pearse in 4.
Highest recorded here: Declan #12 in 1971, Pearse #93 in 1966.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Declan #348, Pearse #509.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Declan held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Pearse in 18.
Highest recorded here: Declan #54 in 1997, Pearse #85 in 2004.
The order changed in 2009: Pearse moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #107 and #129; by 2009 that had become #152 and #140.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Declan #256, Pearse #187.
England and Wales · Boys10 shared years, 1996–2017
Declan held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Pearse in 0.
Highest recorded here: Declan #69 in 1997, Pearse #1578 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Declan #314, Pearse #4812.
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 | Declan | Pearse |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #348 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #509 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Declan and Pearse both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Declan
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #23 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: #12 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1971 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #348 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Pearse
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — 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: #85 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys