Mark vs Niall
Mark and Niallcompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Mark was ranked #99 and Niall #244 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Mark was ranked #177 and Niall #144 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Mark was ranked #169 and Niall #246 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Mark was ranked #277 and Niall #613 among boys in England and Wales.
Mark and Niall over time
Mark and Niall appear together in 3 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Mark held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Niall 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2018, Niall moved ahead of Mark in Northern Ireland · Boys — #114 and #117 the year before became #178 and #83.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mark and Niall changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2024, ending at #177 and #144.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Mark and Niall averaged 29.9 places apart, ending at #177 and #144.
- Longest-running competitions
Mark and Niall were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #99 and #244.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Mark #55 in 1996, Niall #106 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Mark held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Niall in 0.
Highest recorded here: Mark #7 in 1974, Niall #16 in 1991.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mark #99, Niall #244.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Mark held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Niall in 0.
Highest recorded here: Mark #55 in 1996, Niall #106 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Mark #277, Niall #613.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Mark held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Niall in 12.
Highest recorded here: Mark #12 in 1999, Niall #26 in 1998.
The order changed in 2018: Niall moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #114 and #117; by 2018 that had become #178 and #83.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Mark #177, Niall #144.
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 | Mark | Niall |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of the Latin name Marcus used in several languages. Saint Mark authored the second Gospel and is patron saint of Venice. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹk/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 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 |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #99 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #244 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mark has a recorded origin (Latin); Niall does not have one recorded yet.
- Mark and Niall both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Mark; Niall doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Mark
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #362 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2001
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1960 (recorded 1952–2001).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #286 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Niall
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #47 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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1991 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #244 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys