Fionn vs Katelin
Fionn and Katelincompared 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 2004, Fionn was ranked #4598 and Katelin #788 among girls in England and Wales.
Fionn and Katelin over time
Fionn and Katelin appear together in 1 published list, across 8 years of shared records. Katelin held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fionn in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Fionn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Katelin 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2004
Fionn held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Katelin in 7.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #2152 in 1997, Katelin #771 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Fionn #4598, Katelin #788.
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 | Katelin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | female |
| 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 | 3 |
| 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 · Girls #5891 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fionn has a recorded origin (Irish); Katelin does not have one recorded yet.
- Fionn has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Katelin.
- A meaning is recorded for Fionn; Katelin 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 #658 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Katelin
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3126 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 recorded1999–2003
Highest recorded position: #291 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 1999 (recorded 1999–2003).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls