Fionn vs Luca
Fionn and Lucacompared 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 Luca #11 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #330 and Luca #6 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #757 and Luca #7 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #26 and Luca #7 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2004, Fionn was ranked #4598 and Luca #2278 among girls in England and Wales.
Fionn and Luca over time
Fionn and Luca appear together in 4 published lists, across 92 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.
Fionn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Luca 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, Luca moved into the top 50 at #16 in 2022 as Fionn fell out of it to #51, having been #36 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2022, Luca moved ahead of Fionn in Northern Ireland · Boys — #36 and #63 the year before became #51 and #16.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Fionn and Luca averaged 53.2 places apart, ending at #26 and #7.
- Longest-running competitions
Fionn and Luca were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 30 years, from 1994 to 2025, ending at #6 and #11.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Fionn #555 in 2022, Luca #7 in 2023.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys30 shared years, 1994–2025
Fionn held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Luca in 0.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #6 in 2023, Luca #11 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fionn #6, Luca #11.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Luca in 29.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #555 in 2022, Luca #7 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #757, Luca #7.
Northern Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 2000–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Luca in 3.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #26 in 2024, Luca #7 in 2024.
The order changed in 2022: Luca moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #36 and #63; by 2022 that had become #51 and #16.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #26, Luca #7.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2004
Fionn held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Luca in 6.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #2152 in 1997, Luca #1628 in 2003.
The order changed in 1998: Luca moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #2152 and #3174; by 1998 that had become #2701 and #2407.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Fionn #4598, Luca #2278.
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 | Luca |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | The Italian and Romanian form of Lucas, itself probably a shortened form of the Greek 'Loukanos', meaning 'from Lucania' (a region of southern Italy). |
| Origin | Irish | Italian, via Greek Loukas |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɪn/ | /ˈluːkə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #6 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #4 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| 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 is recorded with a Irish origin, while Luca is recorded with a Italian, via Greek Loukas origin.
- Fionn has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Luca.
- Fionn's recorded meaning differs from Luca's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, 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
Luca
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #603 among boys in Norway in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2004–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2004–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys