Gail vs Sharon
Gail and Sharoncompared 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.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1966, Gail was ranked #94 and Sharon #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1966, Gail was ranked #89 and Sharon #9 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2004, Gail was ranked #677 and Sharon #207 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2008, Gail was ranked #5545 and Sharon #589 among girls in England and Wales.
Gail and Sharon over time
Gail and Sharon appear together in 4 published lists, across 61 years of shared records. Sharon held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Gail in 0.
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 New Zealand · Girls, Sharon moved into the top 50 at #26 in 1955 as Gail fell out of it to #51, having been #34 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1955, Sharon moved ahead of Gail in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #24 and #35 the year before became #25 and #23.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Gail #178 in 1971, Sharon #5 in 1970.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1964–2004
Gail held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sharon in 26.
Highest recorded here: Gail #178 in 1971, Sharon #5 in 1970.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Gail #677, Sharon #207.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 1952–1966
Gail held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Sharon in 12.
Highest recorded here: Gail #15 in 1952, Sharon #2 in 1965.
The order changed in 1955: Sharon moved ahead. In 1954 they stood at #24 and #35; by 1955 that had become #25 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 1966: Gail #94, Sharon #3.
New Zealand · Girls11 shared years, 1954–1966
Gail held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Sharon in 10.
Highest recorded here: Gail #34 in 1954, Sharon #7 in 1963.
The order changed in 1955: Sharon moved ahead. In 1954 they stood at #34 and #36; by 1955 that had become #51 and #26.
Most recent shared year, 1966: Gail #89, Sharon #9.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 1996–2008
Gail held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sharon in 9.
Highest recorded here: Gail #1958 in 1997, Sharon #539 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Gail #5545, Sharon #589.
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 | Gail | Sharon |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From a Hebrew place name — a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel, also referenced in the biblical 'rose of Sharon' flowering plant. Used as a feminine given name in English since the 1920s. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈʃæɹ.ən/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5545 (2008) | England and Wales · Girls #2138 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sharon has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)); Gail does not have one recorded yet.
- Gail has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Sharon.
- A meaning is recorded for Sharon; Gail doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Gail
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1966
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1966).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #5545 among girls in England and Wales, in 2008.
England and Wales · Girls
Sharon
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #47 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1982
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1965 (recorded 1952–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2138 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls