Keith vs Shai
Keith and Shaicompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Keith was ranked #3688 and Shai #1460 among boys in England and Wales.
Keith and Shai over time
Keith and Shai appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Keith held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shai 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.
Keith reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Shai 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Keith and Shai changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #3688 and #1460.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Keith #379 in 1996, Shai #1110 in 1998.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Keith held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Shai in 10.
Highest recorded here: Keith #379 in 1996, Shai #1110 in 1998.
The order changed in 2020: Shai moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #1869 and #2266; by 2020 that had become #3334 and #1723.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Keith #3688, Shai #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
| Field | Keith | Shai |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #577 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #1460 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Keith and Shai both have 1 syllable.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Keith
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #40 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
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #17 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Shai
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1755 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1110 among boys in England and Wales, in 1998 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls