Mark vs Preston
Mark and Prestoncompared 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 Preston #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Mark was ranked #177 and Preston #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Mark was ranked #277 and Preston #721 among boys in England and Wales.
Mark and Preston over time
Mark and Preston appear together in 3 published lists, across 68 years of shared records. Mark held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Preston in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Mark #46 in 2006, Preston #167 in 2006.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Mark held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Preston in 1.
Highest recorded here: Mark #55 in 1996, Preston #149 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Mark #277, Preston #721.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 2006–2025
Mark held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Preston in 0.
Highest recorded here: Mark #30 in 2007, Preston #247 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mark #99, Preston #577.
Northern Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2006–2024
Mark held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Preston in 0.
Highest recorded here: Mark #46 in 2006, Preston #167 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Mark #177, Preston #404.
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 | Preston |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| 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, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #99 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #577 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Mark has a recorded origin (Latin); Preston does not have one recorded yet.
- Mark has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Preston.
- A meaning is recorded for Mark; Preston doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, 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
Preston
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1235 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
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #149 among boys in England and Wales, in 2006 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys