Fearghal vs Iain
Fearghal 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 2007, Fearghal was ranked #236 and Iain #315 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 1997, Fearghal was ranked #2337 and Iain #331 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2011, Fearghal was ranked #730 and Iain #623 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Fearghal and Iain over time
Fearghal and Iain appear together in 1 published list, across 34 years of shared records. Fearghal held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Iain in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Fearghal 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Fearghal and Iain changed places 16 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1969 and 2011, ending at #730 and #623.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 34 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal and Iain averaged 39.1 places apart, ending at #730 and #623.
- Longest-running competitions
Fearghal and Iain were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 34 years, from 1969 to 2011, ending at #730 and #623.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Fearghal #153 in 1986, Iain #186 in 1988.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys34 shared years, 1969–2011
Fearghal held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Iain in 12.
Highest recorded here: Fearghal #153 in 1986, Iain #186 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Fearghal #730, Iain #623.
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 | Fearghal | 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-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Boys #404 (2024) | Scotland · Boys #727 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fearghal has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Iain.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Fearghal
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 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 recorded1964–2024
Highest recorded position: #153 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1986 (recorded 1964–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern 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