Fidelma vs Philomena
Fidelma and Philomenacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1995, Fidelma was ranked #352 and Philomena #205 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Fidelma and Philomena over time
Fidelma and Philomena appear together in 1 published list, across 31 years of shared records. Philomena held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fidelma in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Philomena reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Fidelma 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Fidelma and Philomena were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 31 years, from 1964 to 1995, ending at #352 and #205.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls31 shared years, 1964–1995
Fidelma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Philomena in 31.
Highest recorded here: Fidelma #116 in 1967, Philomena #72 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1995: Fidelma #352, Philomena #205.
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 | Fidelma | Philomena |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #352 (1995) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fidelma has 3 syllables, compared with 4 for Philomena.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Fidelma
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #125 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1995
Highest recorded position: #116 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1967 (recorded 1964–1995).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1995
Most recently recorded at #352 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1995.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Philomena
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #72 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #72 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls