Denis vs Phillip

Denis and Phillipcompared 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.

New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1955, Denis was ranked #97 and Phillip #18 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1954, Denis was ranked #82 and Phillip #47 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #195 and Phillip #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #423 and Phillip #268 among boys in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2012, Denis was ranked #403 and Phillip #403 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Denis was ranked #434 and Phillip #1460 among boys in England and Wales.

Denis and Phillip over time

Denis and Phillip appear together in 3 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Denis held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Phillip in 1.

The order between them changed and held in 2 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 2 of those lists, Phillip 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.

Longest-running competitions
Denis and Phillip were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 41 years, from 1972 to 2024, ending at #423 and #268.
Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Denis #21 in 1964, Phillip #122 in 1966.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Boys43 shared years, 1964–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Phillip in 0.
Highest recorded here: Denis #21 in 1964, Phillip #122 in 1966.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #195, Phillip #785.
Norway · Boys41 shared years, 1972–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Phillip in 33.
Highest recorded here: Denis #291 in 1985, Phillip #116 in 2013.
The order changed in 1996: Phillip moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #488 and #554; by 1996 that had become #432 and #307.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #423, Phillip #268.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Denis held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Phillip in 10.
Highest recorded here: Denis #262 in 2020, Phillip #180 in 1996.
The order changed in 2008: Denis moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #575 and #560; by 2008 that had become #536 and #593.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Denis #434, Phillip #1460.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Denis

Pairs where Denis shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Adrian vs Denis
Adrian and Denis changed places 16 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #348 and #232.
Adrian · Denis · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
Timothy vs Denis
Timothy and Denis changed places 16 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #329 and #232.
Timothy · Denis · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
Richard vs Denis
Richard and Denis changed places 12 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #232 and #232.
Richard · Denis · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
John vs Denis
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1964, Denis #21 in 1964.
John · Denis · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1964 Republic of Ireland ranking

Other comparisons involving Phillip

Pairs where Phillip shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Adrian vs Phillip
Adrian and Phillip changed places 13 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 1994, ending at #62 and #90.
Adrian · Phillip · 42 shared years, 1952–1994 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 1994 New South Wales, Australia ranking
John vs Phillip
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1952, Phillip #14 in 1952.
John · Phillip · 43 shared years, 1952–1994 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Richard vs Phillip
Across 43 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Richard and Phillip averaged 8.8 places apart, ending at #81 and #90.
Richard · Phillip · 43 shared years, 1952–1994 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1994 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Ian vs Phillip
Across 38 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Ian and Phillip averaged 8.9 places apart, ending at #78 and #63.
Ian · Phillip · 38 shared years, 1952–1989 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1989 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Denis, Phillip
Field	Denis	Phillip
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	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025)	Norway · Boys #268 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	82/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Denis and Phillip both have 2 syllables.
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

Phillip

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #14 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 recorded1952–1994
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1994).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #268 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys