Rodney vs Wayne
Rodney and Wayne compared 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.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1974, Rodney was ranked #99 and Wayne #36 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1983, Rodney was ranked #87 and Wayne #65 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1995, Rodney was ranked #301 and Wayne #86 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Rodney was ranked #2269 and Wayne #2664 among boys in England and Wales.
Rodney and Wayne over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Rodney and Wayne over time
Rodney and Wayne appear together in 4 published lists, across 101 years of shared records. Wayne held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Rodney 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.
Wayne reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Rodney 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
Rodney and Wayne changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 1983, ending at #87 and #65.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 32 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Rodney and Wayne averaged 12.0 places apart, ending at #87 and #65.
- Longest-running competitions
Rodney and Wayne were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 32 years, from 1952 to 1983, ending at #87 and #65.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Rodney #1055 in 1998, Wayne #296 in 1996.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys32 shared years, 1952–1983
Rodney held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Wayne in 27.
Highest recorded here: Rodney #17 in 1966, Wayne #10 in 1958.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1983: Rodney #87, Wayne #65.
England and Wales · Boys28 shared years, 1996–2025
Rodney held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Wayne in 25.
Highest recorded here: Rodney #1055 in 1998, Wayne #296 in 1996.
The order changed in 2025: Rodney moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #2671 and #1951; by 2025 that had become #2269 and #2664.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rodney #2269, Wayne #2664.
Republic of Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 1964–1995
Rodney held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Wayne in 17.
Highest recorded here: Rodney #135 in 1972, Wayne #65 in 1984.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1995: Rodney #301, Wayne #86.
New Zealand · Boys20 shared years, 1954–1974
Rodney held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Wayne in 20.
Highest recorded here: Rodney #42 in 1967, Wayne #14 in 1959.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1974: Rodney #99, Wayne #36.
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 | Rodney | Wayne |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2269 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #676 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Rodney and Wayne both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Rodney
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #38 among boys 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 · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1983
Highest recorded position: #17 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1966 (recorded 1952–1983).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2269 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Wayne
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #29 among boys 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 · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1986
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1958 (recorded 1952–1986).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2664 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys