Finn vs Sema
Finn and Semacompared 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 · Girls
In 2017, Finn was ranked #4763 and Sema #4063 among girls in England and Wales.
Finn and Sema over time
Finn and Sema appear together in 1 published list, across 11 years of shared records. Finn held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Sema 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.
Finn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Sema 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
Finn and Sema changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1997 and 2017, ending at #4763 and #4063.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Finn #2416 in 2000, Sema #2466 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls11 shared years, 1997–2017
Finn held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Sema in 4.
Highest recorded here: Finn #2416 in 2000, Sema #2466 in 2001.
The order changed in 2010: Sema moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #3382 and #3970; by 2010 that had become #4688 and #3533.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Finn #4763, Sema #4063.
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 | Sema |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | female |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill; functions as the usual Anglicised spelling of the Irish name Fionn. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /fɪn/ | Not yet recorded |
| 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 | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #15 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Finn has a recorded origin (Irish); Sema does not have one recorded yet.
- Finn has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Sema.
- A meaning is recorded for Finn; Sema doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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
Sema
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2096 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: #2096 among girls in England and Wales, in 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls