Kay vs Madison
Kay and Madisoncompared 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 2015, Kay was ranked #896 and Madison #89 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Kay was ranked #3970 and Madison #165 among girls in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2018, Kay was ranked #3959 and Madison #4749 among boys in England and Wales.
Kay and Madison over time
Kay and Madison appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Madison held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kay in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Kay reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Madison 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls24 shared years, 1996–2022
Kay held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Madison in 24.
Highest recorded here: Kay #448 in 1996, Madison #35 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Kay #3970, Madison #165.
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 | Kay | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #3970 (2022) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #148 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kay has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Madison.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Kay
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #286 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1963
Highest recorded position: #39 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1963).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #3970 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls
Madison
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #75 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1994–2023
Highest recorded position: #14 among girls in New Zealand, in 2001 (recorded 1994–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #148 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls