Hannah vs Saoirse
Hannah and Saoirsecompared 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 · Girls
In 2025, Hannah was ranked #21 and Saoirse #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Hannah was ranked #57 and Saoirse #37 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Hannah was ranked #66 and Saoirse #196 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Hannah was ranked #105 and Saoirse #402 among girls in England and Wales.
Hannah and Saoirse over time
Hannah and Saoirse appear together in 3 published lists, across 110 years of shared records. Hannah held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Saoirse in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Hannah reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Saoirse in 1. 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 · Girls, Saoirse moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2024 as Hannah fell out of it to #57, having been #36 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Saoirse moved ahead of Hannah in Northern Ireland · Girls — #36 and #37 the year before became #57 and #37.
- Longest-running competitions
Hannah and Saoirse were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #105 and #402.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls52 shared years, 1971–2025
Hannah held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Saoirse in 2.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #5 in 2019, Saoirse #12 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hannah #21, Saoirse #17.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Hannah held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Saoirse in 0.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #6 in 1996, Saoirse #307 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hannah #105, Saoirse #402.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Hannah held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Saoirse in 1.
Highest recorded here: Hannah #6 in 1998, Saoirse #37 in 2023.
The order changed in 2024: Saoirse moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #36 and #37; by 2024 that had become #57 and #37.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Hannah #57, Saoirse #37.
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 | Hannah | Saoirse |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'favour' or 'grace', referring to graciousness. | Means 'freedom' in Irish; first adopted as a given name in the 20th century, reportedly with nationalist/political resonance given the meaning. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhænə/ | /ˈsˠiːɾˠʃə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #21 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #17 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Hannah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Saoirse is recorded with a Irish origin.
- Hannah and Saoirse both have 2 syllables.
- Hannah's recorded meaning differs from Saoirse'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
Hannah
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #91 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2023
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New Zealand, in 1996 (recorded 1978–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #105 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Saoirse
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1971–2025
Highest recorded position: #12 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2016 (recorded 1971–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #402 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls