Donal vs Graeme

Donal and Graemecompared 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 2001, Donal was ranked #173 and Graeme #280 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2013, Donal was ranked #202 and Graeme #711 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2014, Donal was ranked #2964 and Graeme #4632 among boys in England and Wales.

Donal and Graeme over time

Donal and Graeme appear together in 2 published lists, across 43 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.

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.

Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.

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
Donal and Graeme were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 34 years, from 1968 to 2013, ending at #202 and #711.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Boys34 shared years, 1968–2013
Donal held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Graeme in 0.
Highest recorded here: Donal #42 in 1968, Graeme #152 in 1992.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Donal #202, Graeme #711.
England and Wales · Boys9 shared years, 1996–2014
Donal held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Graeme in 5.
Highest recorded here: Donal #1746 in 2001, Graeme #755 in 1996.
The order changed in 2002: Donal moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1746 and #1595; by 2002 that had become #2254 and #2636.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Donal #2964, Graeme #4632.

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 Graeme

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

John vs Graeme
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1952, Graeme #33 in 1952.
John · Graeme · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Peter vs Graeme
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Peter #1 in 1954, Graeme #33 in 1952.
Peter · Graeme · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1954 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Graeme vs Ross
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Graeme and Ross averaged 3.7 places apart, ending at #96 and #99.
Graeme · Ross · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1972 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Murray vs Graeme
Across 20 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Murray and Graeme averaged 4.0 places apart, ending at #100 and #91.
Murray · Graeme · 20 shared years, 1954–1973 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1973 New Zealand ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Donal, Graeme
Field	Donal	Graeme
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	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #509 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #4107 (2023)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	88/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Donal and Graeme both have 2 syllables.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.

How each name got here

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

Graeme

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #33 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 recorded1954–1975
Highest recorded position: #18 among boys in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1975).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4107 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys