Pamela vs Sinead
Pamela and Sineadcompared 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 · Girls
In 2017, Pamela was ranked #873 and Sinead #178 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Pamela was ranked #2605 and Sinead #3333 among girls in England and Wales.
Pamela and Sinead over time
Pamela and Sinead appear together in 2 published lists, across 76 years of shared records. Sinead held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Pamela 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Pamela and Sinead were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #2605 and #3333.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1964 they stood at #116 and #109 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2017 they were #873 and #178.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1964–2017
Pamela held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sinead in 46.
Highest recorded here: Pamela #30 in 1980, Sinead #2 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Pamela #873, Sinead #178.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Pamela held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Sinead in 26.
Highest recorded here: Pamela #891 in 1996, Sinead #154 in 2003.
The order changed in 2024: Pamela moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #2689 and #1705; by 2024 that had become #2574 and #3695.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Pamela #2605, Sinead #3333.
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 | Pamela | Sinead |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Irish form of Jeannette/Janet; the underlying chain traces to the Hebrew name Yochanan, commonly interpreted as 'God is gracious'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish, via Anglo-Norman French Jeannette |
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃɪnʲeːdˠ/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2605 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3333 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sinead has a recorded origin (Irish, via Anglo-Norman French Jeannette); Pamela does not have one recorded yet.
- Pamela has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Sinead.
- A meaning is recorded for Sinead; Pamela doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Pamela
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #20 among girls 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 · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1964
Highest recorded position: #20 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1964).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2605 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sinead
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #109 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2022
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2022).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3333 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls