Finn vs Shea
Finn and Sheacompared 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 Shea #51 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Finn was ranked #15 and Shea #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Finn was ranked #17 and Shea #619 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Finn was ranked #83 and Shea #1322 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Finn was ranked #883 and Shea #883 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Finn was ranked #3519 and Shea #4634 among girls in England and Wales.
Finn and Shea over time
Finn and Shea appear together in 4 published lists, across 98 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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 2 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.
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 #29 in 2016 as Shea fell out of it to #57, having been #33 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2016, Finn moved ahead of Shea in Northern Ireland · Boys — #37 and #33 the year before became #29 and #57.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Finn and Shea changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2024, ending at #15 and #51.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Finn and Shea averaged 52.5 places apart, ending at #15 and #51.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Finn rose about as far as Shea fell — from #261 and #755 in 1996 to #83 and #1322 in 2024.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Finn #2416 in 2000, Shea #1728 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Finn held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shea in 0.
Highest recorded here: Finn #72 in 2021, Shea #308 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finn #83, Shea #1322.
Republic of Ireland · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2025
Finn held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shea in 0.
Highest recorded here: Finn #6 in 2020, Shea #125 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Finn #15, Shea #125.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Finn held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Shea in 16.
Highest recorded here: Finn #7 in 2020, Shea #25 in 2007.
The order changed in 2016: Finn moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #37 and #33; by 2016 that had become #29 and #57.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Finn #15, Shea #51.
England and Wales · Girls12 shared years, 1997–2021
Finn held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Shea in 8.
Highest recorded here: Finn #2416 in 2000, Shea #1728 in 2001.
The order changed in 2021: Finn moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #4763 and #4763; by 2021 that had become #3519 and #4634.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Finn #3519, Shea #4634.
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 | Shea |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The Anglicized form of Séaghdha, occasionally used as a feminine name as well. |
| Origin | Irish | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /fɪn/ | /ˈʃeɪ/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Sé, Séaghdha, Shay |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #15 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Both Finn and Shea share a recorded Irish origin.
- Finn and Shea both have 1 syllable.
- Finn's recorded meaning differs from Shea's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives Finn a "medium" Data Confidence level and Shea a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
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
Shea
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #316 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #25 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys