Fay vs Francis
Fay and Franciscompared 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 · Girls
In 2024, Fay was ranked #3695 and Francis #2574 among girls in England and Wales.
Fay and Francis over time
Fay and Francis appear together in 1 published list, across 16 years of shared records. Fay held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Francis 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.
Fay reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Francis 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
Fay and Francis changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #3695 and #2574.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1996–2024
Fay held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Francis in 4.
Highest recorded here: Fay #368 in 1996, Francis #1863 in 2023.
The order changed in 2023: Francis moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #2325 and #2488; by 2023 that had become #4056 and #1863.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fay #3695, Francis #2574.
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 | Fay | Francis |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #3695 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #309 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fay has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Francis.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Fay
Popularity journey
First recorded1986
First recorded at #422 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1986 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3695 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Francis
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #74 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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #316 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys