Isaac vs Ted
Isaac and Tedcompared 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 2024, Isaac was ranked #26 and Ted #256 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Isaac was ranked #37 and Ted #232 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Isaac was ranked #49 and Ted #619 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Isaac was ranked #104 and Ted #170 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Isaac was ranked #251 and Ted #476 among boys in Norway.
Isaac and Ted over time
Isaac and Ted appear together in 4 published lists, across 84 years of shared records. Isaac held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ted in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Isaac reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Ted 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Isaac #20 in 2015, Ted #150 in 2015.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Isaac held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Ted in 0.
Highest recorded here: Isaac #20 in 2015, Ted #150 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Isaac #37, Ted #232.
Republic of Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 1999–2025
Isaac held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Ted in 1.
Highest recorded here: Isaac #77 in 2014, Ted #90 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isaac #104, Ted #170.
Norway · Boys18 shared years, 1974–2025
Isaac held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Ted in 5.
Highest recorded here: Isaac #176 in 2018, Ted #396 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isaac #251, Ted #476.
Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 2012–2024
Isaac held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Ted in 0.
Highest recorded here: Isaac #20 in 2020, Ted #158 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Isaac #26, Ted #256.
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 | Isaac | Ted |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as 'he will laugh' or 'he laughs', tied to the biblical narrative in which Abraham and Sarah laugh at the prophecy of Isaac's birth in their old age. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈaɪzək/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #26 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #170 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Isaac has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac); Ted does not have one recorded yet.
- Isaac has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ted.
- A meaning is recorded for Isaac; Ted doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Isaac
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1990–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2015 (recorded 1990–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Ted
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #484 among boys in Norway in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1999–2025
Highest recorded position: #90 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2021 (recorded 1999–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #476 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys