Jay vs Samuel
Jay and Samuelcompared 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 · Boys
In 1996, Jay was ranked #96 and Samuel #16 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jay was ranked #500 and Samuel #60 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jay was ranked #305 and Samuel #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jay was ranked #278 and Samuel #69 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jay was ranked #309 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Jay and Samuel over time
Jay and Samuel appear together in 4 published lists, across 110 years of shared records. Samuel held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Jay in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Jay reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Samuel 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Jay and Samuel averaged 57.8 places apart, ending at #305 and #64.
- Longest-running competitions
Jay and Samuel were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 35 years, from 1988 to 2025, ending at #309 and #76.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys35 shared years, 1988–2025
Jay held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 35.
Highest recorded here: Jay #133 in 2009, Samuel #33 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jay #309, Samuel #76.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jay held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 29.
Highest recorded here: Jay #59 in 2001, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jay #500, Samuel #60.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Jay held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Samuel in 26.
Highest recorded here: Jay #33 in 2009, Samuel #25 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jay #305, Samuel #64.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys18 shared years, 1975–1996
Jay held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 18.
Highest recorded here: Jay #69 in 1982, Samuel #13 in 1991.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1996: Jay #96, Samuel #16.
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 | Jay | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #309 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (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
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Jay does not have one recorded yet.
- Jay has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Samuel.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Jay doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Jay
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #100 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #33 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2009 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #309 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys