Denis vs Isaac
Denis and Isaaccompared 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 Isaac #26 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #434 and Isaac #37 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Denis was ranked #232 and Isaac #104 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #423 and Isaac #262 among boys in Norway.
Denis and Isaac over time
Denis and Isaac appear together in 4 published lists, across 123 years of shared records. Isaac held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Denis 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.
Denis reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Isaac 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2007, Isaac moved ahead of Denis in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #119 and #153 the year before became #123 and #101.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Denis and Isaac changed places 8 times in Norway · Boys between 1974 and 2024, ending at #423 and #262.
- Longest-running competitions
Denis and Isaac were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 39 years, from 1974 to 2024, ending at #423 and #262.
List by list
Norway · Boys39 shared years, 1974–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Isaac in 23.
Highest recorded here: Denis #249 in 1984, Isaac #164 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #423, Isaac #262.
Republic of Ireland · Boys38 shared years, 1964–2025
Denis held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Isaac in 20.
Highest recorded here: Denis #21 in 1964, Isaac #77 in 2014.
The order changed in 2007: Isaac moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #119 and #153; by 2007 that had become #123 and #101.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Denis #232, Isaac #104.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isaac in 29.
Highest recorded here: Denis #262 in 2020, Isaac #20 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #434, Isaac #37.
Northern Ireland · Boys17 shared years, 1998–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isaac in 17.
Highest recorded here: Denis #231 in 2011, Isaac #20 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #305, Isaac #26.
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 | Isaac |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally understood as 'he will laugh' or 'he laughs', tied to the biblical narrative in which Abraham and Sarah laugh at the prophecy of Isaac's birth in their old age. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈaɪzək/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #26 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Isaac has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac); Denis does not have one recorded yet.
- Denis and Isaac both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Isaac; Denis doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
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
Isaac
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 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 recorded1990–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2015 (recorded 1990–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys