Fionn vs Lorcan
Fionn and Lorcancompared 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 2025, Fionn was ranked #6 and Lorcan #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #26 and Lorcan #54 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #757 and Lorcan #691 among boys in England and Wales.
Fionn and Lorcan over time
Fionn and Lorcan appear together in 3 published lists, across 106 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.
Lorcan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Northern Ireland · Boys, Fionn moved into the top 50 at #26 in 2024 as Lorcan fell out of it to #54, having been #31 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Fionn moved ahead of Lorcan in Northern Ireland · Boys — #34 and #31 the year before became #26 and #54.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Fionn and Lorcan changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #757 and #691.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Fionn and Lorcan averaged 22.8 places apart, ending at #26 and #54.
- Longest-running competitions
Fionn and Lorcan were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 51 years, from 1971 to 2025, ending at #6 and #125.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Fionn #26 in 2024, Lorcan #31 in 2023.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys51 shared years, 1971–2025
Fionn held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Lorcan in 21.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #6 in 2023, Lorcan #87 in 2015.
The order changed in 2000: Fionn moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #97 and #95; by 2000 that had become #64 and #92.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fionn #6, Lorcan #125.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Lorcan in 22.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #555 in 2022, Lorcan #481 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #757, Lorcan #691.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Lorcan in 13.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #26 in 2024, Lorcan #31 in 2023.
The order changed in 2024: Fionn moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #34 and #31; by 2024 that had become #26 and #54.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #26, Lorcan #54.
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 | Lorcan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Fionn has a recorded origin (Irish); Lorcan does not have one recorded yet.
- Fionn has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Lorcan.
- A meaning is recorded for Fionn; Lorcan 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
Lorcan
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #147 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — 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: #31 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2023 (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