Roman vs Willie

Roman and Williecompared 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 · Boys
In 2016, Roman was ranked #92 and Willie #4810 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Roman was ranked #134 and Willie #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Roman and Willie over time

Roman and Willie appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Roman held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Willie 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.

Willie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Roman 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.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Boys10 shared years, 2006–2024
Roman held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Willie in 1.
Highest recorded here: Roman #134 in 2024, Willie #423 in 2006.
The order changed in 2009: Roman moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #596 and #423; by 2009 that had become #386 and #701.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Roman #134, Willie #785.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Roman

Pairs where Roman shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Adam vs Roman
Adam and Roman averaged 17.5 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 205 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Adam · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
Jordan vs Roman
Jordan and Roman averaged 18.8 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 220 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Jordan · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Close in one country, far apart in another
Hugo vs Roman
In England and Wales · Boys, Roman moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2020 as Hugo fell out of it to #51, having been #48 the year before.
Hugo · Roman · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2020 England and Wales ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Roman, Willie
Field	Roman	Willie
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˈro.man/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	New South Wales, Australia · Boys #50 (2025)	Republic of Ireland · Boys #785 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	88/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Roman has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages); Willie does not have one recorded yet.
Roman and Willie both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Roman; Willie doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Roman

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #333 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Willie

Popularity journey

First recorded1970
First recorded at #305 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1970–2024
Highest recorded position: #304 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1970–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2024.
Republic of Ireland · Boys