Namewise

Keanu vs Phillip

Keanu and Phillipcompared 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 Zealand · Boys

    In 1995, Keanu was ranked #96 and Phillip #100 among boys in New Zealand.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2007, Keanu was ranked #629 and Phillip #435 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2024, Keanu was ranked #711 and Phillip #1460 among boys in England and Wales.

Keanu and Phillip over time

Keanu and Phillip appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Phillip held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Keanu 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.

Phillip reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Keanu 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 · Boys29 shared years, 19962024

    Keanu held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Phillip in 22.

    Highest recorded here: Keanu #496 in 2020, Phillip #180 in 1996.

    The order changed in 2018: Keanu moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #1210 and #968; by 2018 that had become #731 and #835.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Keanu #711, Phillip #1460.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Keanu, Phillip
FieldKeanuPhillip
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, IE, NZAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationEngland and Wales · Boys #711 (2024)Norway · Boys #268 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)94/10082/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Keanu and Phillip both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NZ.

How each name got here

Keanu

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1996

    First recorded at #505 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

  2. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #711 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Boys

Phillip

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1952

    First recorded at #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1952–1994

    Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1994).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #268 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys