Donal vs Maurice
Donal and Mauricecompared 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 2005, Donal was ranked #178 and Maurice #307 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Donal was ranked #509 and Maurice #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Donal was ranked #5119 and Maurice #2671 among boys in England and Wales.
Donal and Maurice over time
Donal and Maurice appear together in 2 published lists, across 76 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 Maurice were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 61 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #509 and #468.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Donal #38 in 1965, Maurice #46 in 1967.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys61 shared years, 1964–2025
Donal held the stronger position in 59 of those years, Maurice in 1.
Highest recorded here: Donal #38 in 1965, Maurice #46 in 1967.
The order changed in 2025: Maurice moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #374 and #472; by 2025 that had become #509 and #468.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Donal #509, Maurice #468.
England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 1996–2024
Donal held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maurice in 15.
Highest recorded here: Donal #1746 in 2001, Maurice #818 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Donal #5119, Maurice #2671.
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 | Donal | Maurice |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #468 (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
- Donal has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Maurice.
- 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
Maurice
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #92 among boys in New Zealand in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #46 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1967 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2952 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys