Fionn vs Greg
Fionn and Gregcompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2015, Fionn was ranked #19 and Greg #699 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2000, Fionn was ranked #176 and Greg #277 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2021, Fionn was ranked #610 and Greg #4789 among boys in England and Wales.
Fionn and Greg over time
Fionn and Greg appear together in 2 published lists, across 52 years of shared records. Fionn held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Greg 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.
Greg reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Fionn 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 30 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fionn rose about as far as Greg fell — from #231 and #283 in 1978 to #19 and #699 in 2015.
- Longest-running competitions
Fionn and Greg were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 30 years, from 1978 to 2015, ending at #19 and #699.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Fionn #600 in 1997, Greg #341 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys30 shared years, 1978–2015
Fionn held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Greg in 1.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #19 in 2015, Greg #166 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Fionn #19, Greg #699.
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 1996–2021
Fionn held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Greg in 8.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #600 in 1997, Greg #341 in 1997.
The order changed in 2005: Fionn moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #1038 and #875; by 2005 that had become #850 and #1047.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Fionn #610, Greg #4789.
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 | Fionn | Greg |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally interpreted as 'white' or 'fair', extending in Old Irish usage to 'bright' and figuratively 'true, just'. Strongly associated with the mythological hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɪn/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #6 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #4789 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fionn has a recorded origin (Irish); Greg does not have one recorded yet.
- Fionn and Greg both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Fionn; Greg doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Fionn
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #257 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2023 (recorded 1971–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Greg
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #283 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1978–2015
Highest recorded position: #166 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1978–2015).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #4789 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Boys