Namewise

Deirdre vs Lisa

Deirdre and Lisacompared 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.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 1999, Deirdre was ranked #3900 and Lisa #170 among girls in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls

    In 2019, Deirdre was ranked #871 and Lisa #551 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Deirdre and Lisa over time

Deirdre and Lisa appear together in 1 published list, across 51 years of shared records. Lisa held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Deirdre in 0.

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.

Deirdre reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lisa 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 moved ahead of the other

    In 1979, Lisa moved ahead of Deirdre in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #8 and #10 the year before became #8 and #6.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Deirdre and Lisa were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 51 years, from 1964 to 2019, ending at #871 and #551.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls51 shared years, 19642019

    Deirdre held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Lisa in 36.

    Highest recorded here: Deirdre #7 in 1966, Lisa #3 in 1984.

    The order changed in 1979: Lisa moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #8 and #10; by 1979 that had become #8 and #6.

    Most recent shared year, 2019: Deirdre #871, Lisa #551.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Deirdre, Lisa
FieldDeirdreLisa
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Editorially researched profile
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedA short form of Elizabeth, often used independently — notably the name of the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
OriginNot yet recordedHebrew, short form of Elizabeth
PronunciationNot yet recorded/ˈliː.sə/
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, IEAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Girls #871 (2019)Norway · Girls #174 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recorded90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)82/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)60/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Lisa has a recorded origin (Hebrew, short form of Elizabeth); Deirdre does not have one recorded yet.
  • Deirdre and Lisa both have 2 syllables.
  • A meaning is recorded for Lisa; Deirdre doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Deirdre

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #14 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

  2. Highest recorded1964–2019

    Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1966 (recorded 1964–2019).

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

  3. Most recent2019

    Most recently recorded at #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2019.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

Lisa

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #330 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1962–1997

    Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 1968 (recorded 1962–1997).

    New Zealand · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #174 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls