Namewise

Pearse vs Philip

Pearse and Philipcompared 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.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys

    In 2022, Pearse was ranked #221 and Philip #311 among boys in Northern Ireland.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2025, Pearse was ranked #509 and Philip #309 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2017, Pearse was ranked #4812 and Philip #414 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Scotland · Boys

    In 2024, Pearse was ranked #535 and Philip #619 among boys in Scotland.

Pearse and Philip over time

Pearse and Philip appear together in 3 published lists, across 95 years of shared records. Philip held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Pearse in 1.

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.

Philip reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Pearse 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.

  • One moved ahead of the other

    In 2016, Pearse moved ahead of Philip in Northern Ireland · Boys — #187 and #187 the year before became #166 and #358.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Pearse and Philip were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 59 years, from 1965 to 2025, ending at #509 and #309.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Pearse #1578 in 1997, Philip #103 in 1996.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys59 shared years, 19652025

    Pearse held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Philip in 59.

    Highest recorded here: Pearse #93 in 1966, Philip #30 in 1978.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Pearse #509, Philip #309.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 19972022

    Pearse held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Philip in 6.

    Highest recorded here: Pearse #85 in 2004, Philip #51 in 1997.

    The order changed in 2016: Pearse moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #187 and #187; by 2016 that had become #166 and #358.

    Most recent shared year, 2022: Pearse #221, Philip #311.

  • England and Wales · Boys10 shared years, 19962017

    Pearse held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Philip in 10.

    Highest recorded here: Pearse #1578 in 1997, Philip #103 in 1996.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2017: Pearse #4812, Philip #414.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Pearse, Philip
FieldPearsePhilip
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IEAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Boys #509 (2025)Norway · Boys #91 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10088/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Pearse and Philip both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.

How each name got here

Pearse

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1965

    First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1997–2024

    Highest recorded position: #85 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1997–2024).

    Northern Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

Philip

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1948

    First recorded at #341 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1954–1992

    Highest recorded position: #20 among boys in New Zealand, in 1963 (recorded 1954–1992).

    New Zealand · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #91 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys