Dennis vs Isaac
Dennis 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 2020, Dennis was ranked #392 and Isaac #20 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Dennis was ranked #453 and Isaac #37 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Dennis was ranked #655 and Isaac #99 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Dennis was ranked #156 and Isaac #251 among boys in Norway.
Dennis and Isaac over time
Dennis and Isaac appear together in 3 published lists, across 103 years of shared records. Isaac held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Dennis 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.
Dennis reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Isaac 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 1996, Isaac moved ahead of Dennis in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #208 and #247 the year before became #336 and #200.
- Longest-running competitions
Dennis and Isaac were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 41 years, from 1974 to 2025, ending at #156 and #251.
List by list
Norway · Boys41 shared years, 1974–2025
Dennis held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Isaac in 1.
Highest recorded here: Dennis #70 in 2002, Isaac #164 in 2014.
The order changed in 1975: Dennis moved ahead. In 1974 they stood at #455 and #407; by 1975 that had become #283 and #609.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Dennis #156, Isaac #251.
Republic of Ireland · Boys33 shared years, 1964–2024
Dennis held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Isaac in 27.
Highest recorded here: Dennis #170 in 1968, Isaac #77 in 2015.
The order changed in 1996: Isaac moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #208 and #247; by 1996 that had become #336 and #200.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dennis #655, Isaac #99.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Dennis held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isaac in 29.
Highest recorded here: Dennis #316 in 2005, Isaac #20 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Dennis #453, Isaac #37.
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 | Dennis | 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 | /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 | Norway · Boys #156 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #26 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 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); Dennis does not have one recorded yet.
- Dennis and Isaac both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Isaac; Dennis 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
Dennis
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #34 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 recorded1952–1970
Highest recorded position: #34 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1970).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #156 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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