Matthias vs Ryan
Matthias and Ryancompared 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, Matthias was ranked #468 and Ryan #57 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Matthias was ranked #352 and Ryan #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Matthias was ranked #453 and Ryan #132 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Matthias was ranked #409 and Ryan #364 among boys in Norway.
Matthias and Ryan over time
Matthias and Ryan appear together in 3 published lists, across 71 years of shared records. Ryan held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Matthias 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.
Matthias reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Ryan in 1. 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
Matthias and Ryan changed places 13 times in Norway · Boys between 1977 and 2025, ending at #409 and #364.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Matthias held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ryan in 29.
Highest recorded here: Matthias #366 in 2022, Ryan #7 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Matthias #453, Ryan #132.
Norway · Boys28 shared years, 1977–2025
Matthias held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Ryan in 19.
Highest recorded here: Matthias #380 in 2002, Ryan #249 in 2015.
The order changed in 2015: Ryan moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #421 and #507; by 2015 that had become #531 and #249.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Matthias #409, Ryan #364.
Republic of Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 1973–2025
Matthias held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ryan in 14.
Highest recorded here: Matthias #320 in 1973, Ryan #6 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Matthias #468, Ryan #57.
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 | Matthias | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riain, a patronymic from the given name Rian. The exact meaning of Rian itself remains uncertain, despite a popular but unconfirmed 'little king' gloss. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish (surname origin) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɹaɪ.ən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #409 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #57 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ryan has a recorded origin (Irish (surname origin)); Matthias does not have one recorded yet.
- Matthias has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ryan.
- A meaning is recorded for Ryan; Matthias doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Matthias
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #469 among boys in Norway in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #409 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Ryan
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #280 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #81 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys