Polly vs Sharon
Polly and Sharoncompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Polly was ranked #200 and Sharon #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Polly was ranked #333 and Sharon #638 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2010, Polly was ranked #366 and Sharon #366 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2020, Polly was ranked #375 and Sharon #834 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Polly and Sharon over time
Polly and Sharon appear together in 2 published lists, across 47 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Sharon reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Polly in none. 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
Polly and Sharon changed places 7 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1995 and 2020, ending at #375 and #834.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Polly held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Sharon in 0.
Highest recorded here: Polly #156 in 2021, Sharon #539 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Polly #200, Sharon #2000.
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1995–2020
Polly held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Sharon in 10.
Highest recorded here: Polly #324 in 2017, Sharon #96 in 1995.
The order changed in 2017: Polly moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #536 and #494; by 2017 that had become #324 and #873.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Polly #375, Sharon #834.
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 | Polly | Sharon |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From a Hebrew place name — a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel, also referenced in the biblical 'rose of Sharon' flowering plant. Used as a feminine given name in English since the 1920s. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈʃæɹ.ən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #325 (2025) | Scotland · Girls #638 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sharon has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)); Polly does not have one recorded yet.
- Polly and Sharon both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Sharon; Polly doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Polly
Popularity journey
First recorded1995
First recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1995 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #156 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #325 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Sharon
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #47 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 recorded1952–1982
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1965 (recorded 1952–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls