Denis vs Donal
Denis and Donalcompared 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, Denis was ranked #305 and Donal #216 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Denis was ranked #232 and Donal #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #434 and Donal #5119 among boys in England and Wales.
Denis and Donal over time
Denis and Donal appear together in 3 published lists, across 93 years of shared records. Denis held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Donal in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Donal reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Denis 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Denis and Donal changed places 10 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #232 and #509.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 62 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Denis and Donal averaged 38.0 places apart, ending at #232 and #509.
- Longest-running competitions
Denis and Donal were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #232 and #509.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Denis #21 in 1964, Donal #38 in 1965.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Denis held the stronger position in 44 of those years, Donal in 18.
Highest recorded here: Denis #21 in 1964, Donal #38 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Denis #232, Donal #509.
Northern Ireland · Boys16 shared years, 1998–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Donal in 14.
Highest recorded here: Denis #231 in 2011, Donal #117 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #305, Donal #216.
England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 1996–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Donal in 0.
Highest recorded here: Denis #262 in 2020, Donal #1746 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #434, Donal #5119.
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 | Denis | Donal |
|---|---|---|
| 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, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #509 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Denis and Donal both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Denis
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #65 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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Donal
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #45 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: #38 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys