Head to head · Boys' names
Raul vs Shane
#634 vs #635 in 2025
Raul is a whisker ahead (#634 vs #635 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Raul is holding its place on the charts, Shane is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Raul leads 3 measures of 6; Shane leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1900s: Raul #925, Shane — — Raul higher
- 1910s: Raul #673, Shane — — Raul higher
- 1920s: Raul #360, Shane — — Raul higher
- 1930s: Raul #306, Shane #2942 — Raul higher
- 1940s: Raul #298, Shane #1928 — Raul higher
- 1950s: Raul #256, Shane #659 — Raul higher
- 1960s: Raul #256, Shane #224 — Shane higher
- 1970s: Raul #213, Shane #60 — Shane higher
- 1980s: Raul #206, Shane #74 — Shane higher
- 1990s: Raul #212, Shane #96 — Shane higher
- 2000s: Raul #254, Shane #156 — Shane higher
- 2010s: Raul #439, Shane #296 — Shane higher
- 2020s: Raul #593, Shane #550 — Shane higher
Shane stood higher in 7 of 13 decades; Shane has held the lead since the 1960s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Raul | Shane |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | #925 | — |
| 1910s | #673 | — |
| 1920s | #360 | — |
| 1930s | #306 | #2942 |
| 1940s | #298 | #1928 |
| 1950s | #256 | #659 |
| 1960s | #256 | #224 |
| 1970s | #213 | #60 |
| 1980s | #206 | #74 |
| 1990s | #212 | #96 |
| 2000s | #254 | #156 |
| 2010s | #439 | #296 |
| 2020s | #593 | #550 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Raul
counsel-wolf, from Germanic rād 'advice, counsel' and wulf 'wolf'
The same two elements sit inside the English Ralph and the French Raoul; the Germanic naming habit of pairing an abstract quality with an animal is very old and very well documented.
Rādwulf → Radulf → Raoul → Raúl → Raul
How it traveled
The oldest form is the Germanic Rādwulf, latinized as Radulf, which spread through Frankish territory in the early medieval period. Old French wore it down to Raoul, and Norman speakers took that form to England, where it settled as Ralph.
Shane
God has been gracious
The Irish Sean is the Irish form of John, arrived at through the Norman French Jehan, and it carries John's meaning unaltered. The Ulster pronunciation changes nothing but the vowel.
Jehan → Sean → Shane
How it traveled
Irish vowels vary by province, and this one varies more than most. In the north the long a in Sean is said as the a of gate, giving Shane; in Munster it is closer to the aw of lawn, giving Shaun and Shawn.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Raul
rah-OOL
Two syllables, stress on the second. In Spanish the accent mark (Raúl) is what keeps the vowels apart; without it, English speakers sometimes flatten it to one syllable, closer to 'Rowl'.
- Raulito — Standard Spanish diminutive, used affectionately within families and often for a boy named after his father.
- Rauli — Informal short form; also exists independently as a Finnish given name.
- Rau — Clipped informal form heard among friends and teammates rather than in writing.
Shane
SHAYN
One syllable, rhyming with rain. Shaun and Shawn, the other spellings of the same Irish name, rhyme with lawn instead.
- Shay — Cut to one syllable; a standing Irish name of its own for women and men both.
- Shaner — An informal Australian and Irish form, used among friends.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Raul if you want…
On the measures here, the records do not separate Raul from Shane.
Choose Shane if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsShane is stepping back from its peak
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Raul
Strengths
- Works unchanged in English, Spanish and Portuguese — only the accent mark shifts, and the sound stays recognizable in all three.
- Four letters, no silent letters, no competing spellings to choose between.
- A documented line running from early medieval Frankish names through Old French to the modern form.
To consider
- The accent in Raúl will be dropped by school systems, forms and databases; deciding early whether you write it with or without saves years of small corrections.
- English-only speakers often need one gentle correction, either compressing it to a single syllable or reaching for the French Raoul.
- Its American strength is concentrated in the southwest and California, so outside those regions it may be met as unfamiliar rather than merely uncommon — which is not the same as difficult.
Shane
Strengths
- One syllable, five letters, and no possible mispronunciation in English.
- It is a genuine Irish name in current use, not an American respelling.
- It works well in front of long surnames, where fuller names get crowded.
To consider
- Shaun, Shawn and Sean are all the same name and are constantly substituted for it.
- One film has attached itself firmly for anyone over a certain age.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of girls, though it reads overwhelmingly as a boy's name.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Raul and Shane in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Raul and Shane?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Raul and Shane — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Raul or Shane — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Raul or Shane?
- Raul, in 2025: Raul ranked #634 with 440 babies; Shane ranked #635 with 439 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Raul or Shane?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Raul moved down 77 places; Shane moved down 128 places.
- Which is the older name, Raul or Shane?
- Raul entered the US charts in 1904; Shane entered the US charts in 1933. On the American record, Raul is the older name.
- How many people are named Raul and Shane?
- About 73,500 people named Raul are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 181,000 people named Shane are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Rauls or Shanes in the classroom?
- Raul will almost certainly be the only one in school. Shane will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Raul, Shane and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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