Finn vs Nathan
Finn and Nathancompared 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 2024, Finn was ranked #15 and Nathan #118 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Finn was ranked #15 and Nathan #71 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Finn was ranked #17 and Nathan #62 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Finn was ranked #32 and Nathan #70 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2018, Finn was ranked #40 and Nathan #84 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Finn was ranked #83 and Nathan #88 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Finn was ranked #153 and Nathan #344 among boys in Norway.
Finn and Nathan over time
Finn and Nathan appear together in 6 published lists, across 165 years of shared records. Nathan held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Finn in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Nathan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 6 of those lists, and Finn 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Northern Ireland · Boys, Finn moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2015 as Nathan fell out of it to #51, having been #37 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2018, Finn moved ahead of Nathan in England and Wales · Boys — #96 and #88 the year before became #76 and #102.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Finn and Nathan averaged 24.5 places apart, ending at #32 and #70.
- Longest-running competitions
Finn and Nathan were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 41 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #15 and #71.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys41 shared years, 1982–2025
Finn held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Nathan in 29.
Highest recorded here: Finn #6 in 2020, Nathan #26 in 1999.
The order changed in 2015: Finn moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #32 and #29; by 2015 that had become #30 and #32.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Finn #15, Nathan #71.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Finn held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Nathan in 22.
Highest recorded here: Finn #72 in 2021, Nathan #24 in 2002.
The order changed in 2018: Finn moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #96 and #88; by 2018 that had become #76 and #102.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finn #83, Nathan #88.
Norway · Boys29 shared years, 1982–2025
Finn held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Nathan in 1.
Highest recorded here: Finn #134 in 2021, Nathan #236 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Finn #153, Nathan #344.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Finn held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Nathan in 17.
Highest recorded here: Finn #7 in 2020, Nathan #15 in 2000.
The order changed in 2015: Finn moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #40 and #37; by 2015 that had become #37 and #51.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finn #15, Nathan #118.
New Zealand · Boys26 shared years, 1998–2023
Finn held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Nathan in 16.
Highest recorded here: Finn #25 in 2020, Nathan #22 in 1998.
The order changed in 2015: Finn moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #58 and #52; by 2015 that had become #37 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Finn #32, Nathan #70.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys12 shared years, 2005–2018
Finn held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Nathan in 7.
Highest recorded here: Finn #40 in 2018, Nathan #36 in 2005.
The order changed in 2014: Finn moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #69 and #62; by 2014 that had become #70 and #73.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Finn #40, Nathan #84.
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 | Finn | Nathan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill; functions as the usual Anglicised spelling of the Irish name Fionn. | Commonly interpreted as 'he gave' or 'he has given'. |
| Origin | Irish | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /fɪn/ | /ˈneɪθən/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #15 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #71 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Finn is recorded with a Irish origin, while Nathan is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Finn has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Nathan.
- Finn's recorded meaning differs from Nathan's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Finn
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #31 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2020 (recorded 1982–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Nathan
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #267 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1969–2018
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1981 (recorded 1969–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #344 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys