Namewise

Ely vs Shannon

Ely and Shannoncompared 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.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2019, Ely was ranked #3937 and Shannon #4702 among boys in England and Wales.

Ely and Shannon over time

Ely and Shannon appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Shannon held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ely 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.

Shannon reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ely 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.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Boys12 shared years, 19962019

    Ely held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Shannon in 7.

    Highest recorded here: Ely #1746 in 2001, Shannon #1168 in 1996.

    The order changed in 2017: Ely moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #4685 and #3822; by 2017 that had become #2172 and #4812.

    Most recent shared year, 2019: Ely #3937, Shannon #4702.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Ely, Shannon
FieldElyShannon
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, IEAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observationEngland and Wales · Boys #2671 (2024)Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)60/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Ely and Shannon both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Ely

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1996

    First recorded at #2357 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    England and Wales · Boys

  2. Highest recorded2004–2016

    Highest recorded position: #506 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 2004–2016).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #2671 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Boys

Shannon

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1973

    First recorded at #69 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1997–2024

    Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).

    Northern Ireland · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls