Finlay vs Shai
Finlay and Shaicompared 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 · Boys
In 2024, Finlay was ranked #181 and Shai #1460 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2018, Finlay was ranked #4684 and Shai #3178 among girls in England and Wales.
Finlay and Shai over time
Finlay and Shai appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Finlay held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Shai 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.
Shai reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Finlay 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Finlay #752 in 1999, Shai #1126 in 1997.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Finlay held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shai in 0.
Highest recorded here: Finlay #57 in 2005, Shai #1110 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finlay #181, Shai #1460.
England and Wales · Girls18 shared years, 1996–2018
Finlay held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Shai in 8.
Highest recorded here: Finlay #752 in 1999, Shai #1126 in 1997.
The order changed in 2007: Shai moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #2509 and #3548; by 2007 that had become #2627 and #2233.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Finlay #4684, Shai #3178.
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 | Finlay | Shai |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| 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, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #1460 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Finlay has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shai.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Finlay
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1646 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
Highest recorded2024–2024
Highest recorded position: #11 among boys in Scotland, in 2024 (recorded 2024–2024).
Scotland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Shai
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1755 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
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1110 among boys in England and Wales, in 1998 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls