Donagh vs Malachy
Donagh and Malachycompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Donagh was ranked #146 and Malachy #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Donagh and Malachy over time
Donagh and Malachy appear together in 1 published list, across 59 years of shared records. Donagh held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Malachy 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.
Malachy reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Donagh 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Donagh and Malachy changed places 13 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #146 and #372.
- Longest-running competitions
Donagh and Malachy were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 59 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #146 and #372.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys59 shared years, 1964–2025
Donagh held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Malachy in 12.
Highest recorded here: Donagh #125 in 2017, Malachy #123 in 1968.
The order changed in 2001: Donagh moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #250 and #250; by 2001 that had become #317 and #409.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Donagh #146, Malachy #372.
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 | Donagh | Malachy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #146 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 80/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Donagh has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Malachy.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Donagh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #164 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: #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2017 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #146 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Malachy
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #129 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: #123 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1968 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys