Ezra vs Shan
Ezra and Shancompared 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 2022, Ezra was ranked #35 and Shan #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Ezra was ranked #59 and Shan #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Ezra was ranked #1215 and Shan #4645 among girls in England and Wales.
Ezra and Shan over time
Ezra and Shan appear together in 2 published lists, across 35 years of shared records. Ezra held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Shan 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.
Shan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Ezra 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
Ezra and Shan changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1997 and 2022, ending at #1215 and #4645.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1996–2020
Ezra held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Shan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ezra #59 in 2018, Shan #1642 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Ezra #59, Shan #4608.
England and Wales · Girls14 shared years, 1997–2022
Ezra held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Shan in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ezra #1119 in 2019, Shan #2738 in 1997.
The order changed in 2014: Ezra moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #5742 and #4739; by 2014 that had become #1628 and #5691.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Ezra #1215, Shan #4645.
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 | Ezra | Shan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'help', with a fuller theophoric sense 'God has helped'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛzrə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #38 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #414 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ezra has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Shan does not have one recorded yet.
- Ezra has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shan.
- A meaning is recorded for Ezra; Shan doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Ezra
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #633 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
Highest recorded2013–2024
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2023 (recorded 2013–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1512 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Shan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3795 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #4645 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls