Finley vs Li
Finley and Licompared 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 2017, Finley was ranked #31 and Li #4812 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Finley was ranked #5785 and Li #4763 among girls in England and Wales.
Finley and Li over time
Finley and Li appear together in 2 published lists, across 20 years of shared records. Finley held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Li 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls12 shared years, 1999–2016
Finley held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Li in 2.
Highest recorded here: Finley #998 in 2002, Li #2085 in 2007.
The order changed in 2016: Li moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #2862 and #4003; by 2016 that had become #5785 and #4763.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Finley #5785, Li #4763.
England and Wales · Boys8 shared years, 2003–2017
Finley held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Li in 0.
Highest recorded here: Finley #31 in 2017, Li #2507 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Finley #31, Li #4812.
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 | Finley | Li |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | female |
| 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, NZ | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #159 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #4812 (2017) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Finley has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Li.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Finley
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #704 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #16 among boys in England and Wales, in 2020 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #159 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Li
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3795 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
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #4812 among boys in England and Wales, in 2017.
England and Wales · Boys