Feargal vs Iain
Feargal and Iaincompared 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 1998, Feargal was ranked #240 and Iain #221 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2000, Feargal was ranked #312 and Iain #223 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Feargal and Iain over time
Feargal and Iain appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Iain held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Feargal 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.
Feargal reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Iain 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1987, Iain moved ahead of Feargal in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #172 and #203 the year before became #272 and #197.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Feargal and Iain changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1965 and 2000, ending at #312 and #223.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal and Iain averaged 54.8 places apart, ending at #312 and #223.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1965–2000
Feargal held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Iain in 16.
Highest recorded here: Feargal #159 in 1971, Iain #186 in 1988.
The order changed in 1987: Iain moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #172 and #203; by 1987 that had become #272 and #197.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Feargal #312, Iain #223.
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 | Feargal | Iain |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #312 (2000) | Scotland · Boys #727 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Feargal has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Iain.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Feargal
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #191 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 recorded1964–2000
Highest recorded position: #159 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1971 (recorded 1964–2000).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2000
Most recently recorded at #312 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2000.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Iain
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #250 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1965–2011
Highest recorded position: #186 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1988 (recorded 1965–2011).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #3990 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Boys