Finlay vs Syed
Finlay and Syedcompared 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.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Finlay was ranked #11 and Syed #268 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Finlay was ranked #181 and Syed #136 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Finlay was ranked #372 and Syed #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2010, Finlay was ranked #5707 and Syed #3533 among girls in England and Wales.
Finlay and Syed over time
Finlay and Syed appear together in 2 published lists, across 53 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Syed 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Finlay and Syed changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #181 and #136.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Finlay #244 in 2004, Syed #292 in 2002.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Finlay held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Syed in 7.
Highest recorded here: Finlay #57 in 2005, Syed #136 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finlay #181, Syed #136.
Republic of Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 2002–2025
Finlay held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Syed in 11.
Highest recorded here: Finlay #244 in 2004, Syed #292 in 2002.
The order changed in 2025: Finlay moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #520 and #394; by 2025 that had become #372 and #829.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Finlay #372, Syed #829.
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 | Syed |
|---|---|---|
| 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, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #372 (2025) | Norway · Boys #346 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Finlay has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Syed.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE.
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
Syed
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #311 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #136 among boys in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #346 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys