Ieuan vs Shea
Ieuan 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2006, Ieuan was ranked #341 and Shea #27 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Ieuan was ranked #2440 and Shea #1197 among boys in England and Wales.
Ieuan and Shea over time
Ieuan and Shea appear together in 1 published list, across 30 years of shared records. Ieuan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shea 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.
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.
- Longest-running competitions
Ieuan and Shea were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #2440 and #1197.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Ieuan #193 in 1999, Shea #308 in 1999.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ieuan held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Shea in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ieuan #193 in 1999, Shea #308 in 1999.
The order changed in 2021: Shea moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #1051 and #1192; by 2021 that had become #1688 and #1004.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ieuan #2440, Shea #1197.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Shea
Pairs where Shea shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Craig vs Shea
In 1997 they stood at #68 and #70 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2015 they were #415 and #33.
Craig · Shea · 17 shared years, 1997–2015 · Started together, ended far apart
- Brendan vs Shea
In 1997 they stood at #73 and #70 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2024 they were #404 and #51.
Brendan · Shea · 28 shared years, 1997–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Darragh vs Shea
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Darragh and Shea averaged 13.0 places apart, ending at #51 and #51.
Darragh · Shea · 28 shared years, 1997–2024 · Closest over the longest run
- Freddie vs Shea
In Northern Ireland · Boys, Freddie moved into the top 50 at #17 in 2024 as Shea fell out of it to #51, having been #32 the year before.
Freddie · Shea · 20 shared years, 2005–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
Side by side
| Field | Ieuan | Shea |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Anglicized form of Séaghdha, occasionally used as a feminine name as well. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈʃeɪ/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Sé, Séaghdha, Shay |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2440 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Shea has a recorded origin (Irish); Ieuan does not have one recorded yet.
- Ieuan and Shea both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Shea; Ieuan doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
- The available evidence gives Ieuan 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
Ieuan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #212 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #193 among boys in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2440 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · 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 #1197 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys