Cathal

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Cathal: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Cathal: Recorded every year since 1964, it reached #31 in 1998, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

3registrars recorded it
113times a registrar ranked it
62years from first to last
#31highest recorded position
23groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Cathal's record

Ranked every year since 1964, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 60 years running. Names by top-100 run

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2022

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#2357
1997	#809
1998	#1000
1999	#1199
2000	#1703
2002	#2254
2003	#1962
2004	#1498
2005	#1851
2006	#4052
2007	#2741
2008	#3158
2009	#3744
2010	#4678
2011	#3830
2012	#3987
2013	#4685
2014	#3362
2016	#4810
2018	#4749
2020	#3334
2021	#3990
2022	#3449

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in every year from 1964 to 2025.

In 2024: #88 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #136 among boys in Northern Ireland.

Official data from 3 national registrars across 3 regions, 1964–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #96 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #31 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Cathal appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 62 years beginning in 1964, and has registered 8,352 births with the name.

Cathal across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Cathal's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#96 (1964)	#31 (1998)	#90 (2025)	62 of 62	8,352 (1964–2025)	243 (1997)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#78 (1997)	#78 (1997)	#136 (2024)	28 of 28	557 (1997–2024)	39 (1997)
England and Wales · Boys	#2357 (1996)	#809 (1997)	#3449 (2022)	23 of 27	144 (1996–2022)	19 (1997)

Cathal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Cathal in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	303	6 of 10	51
1970s	1,112	10 of 10	111
1980s	1,279	10 of 10	128
1990s	1,731	10 of 10	173
2000sbusiest	2,046	10 of 10	205
2010s	1,415	10 of 10	142
2020s	466	6 of 10	78

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 2000s were its busiest decade, averaging 205 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Cathal appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1964 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #31 in Republic of Ireland in 2005.

Cathal's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2022	England and Wales	male	#3449	5	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#3990	4	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#3334	5	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#4749	3	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#4810	3	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#3362	5	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#4685	3	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#3987	4	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#3830	4	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#4678	3	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#3744	4	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#3158	5	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#2741	6	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#4052	3	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#1851	9	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#1498	11	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#1962	7	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#2254	5	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#1703	7	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#1199	11	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#1000	14	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#809	19	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#2357	4	High	Verified
2024	Northern Ireland	male	#136	16	High	Verified
2023	Northern Ireland	male	#139	17	High	Verified
2022	Northern Ireland	male	#207	10	High	Verified
2021	Northern Ireland	male	#176	13	High	Verified
2020	Northern Ireland	male	#180	12	High	Verified
2019	Northern Ireland	male	#185	12	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	male	#204	10	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#132	20	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	male	#151	18	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	male	#169	14	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	male	#135	21	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	male	#126	22	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#147	18	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	male	#155	17	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#142	20	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#167	15	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	male	#114	27	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#118	26	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#137	18	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#119	20	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#112	23	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#97	26	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#131	17	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#96	27	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#91	29	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#99	26	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#98	24	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#78	39	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#90	64	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#88	63	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	male	#75	78	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#73	92	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#89	71	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#68	98	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#61	107	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#60	113	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#61	114	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#65	116	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	118	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#69	121	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#54	156	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#56	160	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#44	208	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#42	202	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#47	195	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#36	233	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#38	210	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#35	219	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#31	226	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#34	209	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#39	170	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#38	179	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#38	198	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#35	207	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#42	162	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#31	195	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#37	243	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#43	197	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#46	164	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#51	145	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#47	173	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#55	155	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#52	155	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#56	142	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#59	128	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#61	123	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#54	145	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	116	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#59	126	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#63	134	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#65	123	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	134	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#74	115	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#67	135	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#60	156	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#71	112	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#72	119	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#74	103	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#68	123	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#69	108	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#70	114	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#67	119	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#80	90	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#90	68	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#82	73	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#86	54	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	male	#82	58	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#85	55	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	male	#105	31	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#96	32	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 3 registrars between 1964 and 2025, ranked in 62 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #31, first reached in 1998.

It held a top-100 place in 61 years, 60 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 243 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 1997.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 33 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Caterina · #393, 30y
Cathair · #164, 27y
Cathan · #221, 19y
Cathaoir · #226, 21y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 3 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Brendon · #31, 57y
Lorcan · #31, 62y
Colm · #32, 62y
Dermot · #30, 60y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Brendon · #31, 57y
Emilia · #31, 54y
Felix · #31, 60y
Lorcan · #31, 62y

Cathal was ranked #31 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1998. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Cathal and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Cathal without appearing here.

Cathal moved ahead of

Brooke Compare
In 2013 they stood at #4685 and #3822 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2014 that had become #3362 and #4632.
Kristoffer Compare
In 1996 they stood at #2357 and #2357 in England and Wales · Boys; by 1997 that had become #809 and #2022.
Graeme Compare
In 2008 they stood at #4052 and #2870 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2009 that had become #3744 and #4527.
Barry Compare
In 2021 they stood at #3990 and #2301 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2022 that had become #3449 and #4001.

Moved ahead of Cathal

Harper Compare
In 2005 they stood at #1851 and #2754 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2006 that had become #4052 and #2087.
Gustav Compare
In 2005 they stood at #1851 and #3849 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2006 that had become #4052 and #2282.
Arlo Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1703 and #2142 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2002 that had become #2254 and #848.
Theodor Compare
In 2005 they stood at #1851 and #2418 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2006 that had become #4052 and #2870.

Moved the opposite way to Cathal

Ronald Compare
Between 1964 and 2012 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #96 to #56 while Ronald went from #89 to #718.
Garry Compare
Between 1964 and 2009 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #96 to #47 while Garry went from #114 to #701.
Levi Compare
Between 1988 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #61 to #90 while Levi went from #235 to #83.
Rhys Compare
Between 1988 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #61 to #90 while Rhys went from #319 to #179.

Moved the same way as Cathal

Oskar Compare
Between 1995 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #46 to #90 and Oskar from #334 to #468.
Dylan Compare
Between 1997 and 2024 in Northern Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #78 to #136 and Dylan from #23 to #154.
Edward Compare
Between 1997 and 2024 in Northern Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #78 to #136 and Edward from #104 to #177.
Francis Compare
Between 1997 and 2024 in Northern Ireland · Boys, Cathal went from #78 to #136 and Francis from #100 to #278.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1964 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #31 in Republic of Ireland in 2005. Source data last verified 2026-07-22.

Cathal

Cathal at a glance

What stands out in Cathal's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Cathal across 3 official records

Cathal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Cathal appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Cathal

Cathal and the names beside it

Cathal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Cathal

Moved the opposite way to Cathal

Moved the same way as Cathal

Cathal at a glance

What stands out in Cathal's record

Cathal across 3 official records

Cathal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Cathal appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Cathal

Cathal and the names beside it

Cathal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Cathal

Moved the opposite way to Cathal

Moved the same way as Cathal