Fionn vs Shea
Fionn 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Fionn was ranked #6 and Shea #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #26 and Shea #51 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #330 and Shea #619 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Fionn was ranked #757 and Shea #1322 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2004, Fionn was ranked #4598 and Shea #2278 among girls in England and Wales.
Fionn and Shea over time
Fionn and Shea appear together in 4 published lists, across 94 years of shared records. Shea held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Fionn in 1.
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, Fionn moved into the top 50 at #26 in 2024 as Shea fell out of it to #51, having been #32 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Fionn moved ahead of Shea in Northern Ireland · Boys — #34 and #32 the year before became #26 and #51.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Fionn and Shea changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1999 and 2024, ending at #26 and #51.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Fionn and Shea averaged 47.0 places apart, ending at #26 and #51.
- Longest-running competitions
Fionn and Shea were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 31 years, from 1976 to 2025, ending at #6 and #125.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Fionn #6 in 2023, Shea #125 in 2025.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys31 shared years, 1976–2025
Fionn held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Shea in 0.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #6 in 2023, Shea #125 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fionn #6, Shea #125.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Shea in 18.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #555 in 2022, Shea #308 in 1999.
The order changed in 2014: Fionn moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #976 and #684; by 2014 that had become #805 and #935.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #757, Shea #1322.
Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
Fionn held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Shea in 22.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #26 in 2024, Shea #25 in 2007.
The order changed in 2024: Fionn moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #34 and #32; by 2024 that had become #26 and #51.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fionn #26, Shea #51.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 1996–2004
Fionn held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Shea in 6.
Highest recorded here: Fionn #2152 in 1997, Shea #1728 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Fionn #4598, Shea #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 | Shea |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Anglicized form of Séaghdha, occasionally used as a feminine name as well. |
| Origin | Irish | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɪn/ | /ˈʃeɪ/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Sé, Séaghdha, Shay |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #6 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (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 | high |
What the data shows
- Both Fionn and Shea share a recorded Irish origin.
- Fionn and Shea both have 1 syllable.
- Fionn'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 Fionn 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
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
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