For the first time ever, here to accompany the 2016 AO3 Ship Stats list, this list shows the 100 most popular pairing tags on Archive Of Our Own since this time last year.

This list was created by comparison of current number of fics with data gathered for the 2015 AO3 Ship Stats. Values are only approximate, but this list gives some idea of the most popular pairings in the last 13 months (from July 2015 to August 2016).

There are 63 M/M pairings on the list, 19 F/M, 7 F/F, 5 Gen and 6 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic relationships (Gen), while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic pairings.) Of the 200 names on the list, 34 are women and 7 are characters of ambiguous gender. 49 are POC, and 15 are racially ambiguous.

For more information about the AO3 Ship Stats project, please check out this year’s post, and the accompanying FAQs. A text-only version of this data is beneath the cut.

ETA: Fixed Loki/Reader type.



Rank Pairing Fandom New Works Total Type Race

1 Castiel/Dean Winchester Supernatural 13,204 56,363 M/M White

2 James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 9,327 21,626 M/M White

3 Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 7,591 42,531 M/M White

4 Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Sherlock (TV) 6,661 46,030 M/M White

5 Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson One Direction (Band) 5,732 27,375 M/M White

6 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 4,628 6,045 F/F White

7 Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) 4,601 4,601 M/M White

8 Steve Rogers/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 4,432 16,407 M/M White

9 Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Supernatural 4,313 18,972 M/M White

10 Dan Howell/Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF) 4,220 6,418 M/M White

11 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Hannibal (TV) 3,863 8,486 M/M White

12 Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Miraculous Ladybug 3,705 3,705 F/M Whi/POC

13 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 3,632 15,176 M/M White

14 Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare 3,277 4,342 M/M Whi/POC

15 Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu!! 3,249 4,278 M/M POC

16 Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin The 100 (TV) 3,131 6,752 F/M Whi/POC

17 Poe Dameron/Finn Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) 2,938 2,938 M/M POC

18 Levi/Eren Yeager Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 2,912 10,110 M/M White

19 Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak Arrow (TV 2012) 2,803 7,661 F/M White

20 Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 2,725 6,402 F/M White

21 Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 2,694 3,080 M/M POC

22 Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Haikyuu!! 2,657 4,734 M/M POC

23 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 2,637 7,238 F/F Whi/POC

24 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2,544 8,005 M/M White

25 Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford Dragon Age: Inquisition 2,504 5,398 Other Whi/Amb

26 Merlin/Arthur Pendragon Merlin (TV) 2,440 15,775 M/M White

27 Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph Twenty One Pilots 2,403 3,170 M/M Whi/POC

28 Gabriel/Sam Winchester Supernatural 2,192 8,511 M/M White

29 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 2,182 2,476 M/M POC

30 Inquisitor/Solas Dragon Age: Inquisition 2,096 3,669 Other Whi/Amb

31 Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) 2,082 2,082 F/M White

32 Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 2,064 8,809 F/M White

33 Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel Glee 2,034 12,934 M/M Whi/POC

34 Harry Hart/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) 2,002 3,281 M/M White

35 Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Sherlock (TV) 1,966 12,484 Gen White

36 Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Haikyuu!! 1,959 2,383 M/M POC

37 James “Bucky” Barnes & Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 1,930 3,890 Gen White

38 Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Gravity Falls 1,907 2,655 M/M Whi/Amb

39 Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki Supernatural RPF 1,892 9,634 M/M White

40 Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi Haikyuu!! 1,865 2,762 M/M POC

41 Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) 1,826 10,362 M/M White

42 Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens Hamilton – Miranda 1,807 1,807 M/M POC

43 Clarke Griffin & Lexa The 100 (TV) 1,804 2,735 Gen White

44 Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) 1,802 3,610 F/M White

45 Frank Iero/Gerard Way My Chemical Romance 1,773 6,666 M/M White

46 Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin Video Blogging RPF 1,756 1,756 M/M Whi/POC

47 Castiel & Dean Winchester Supernatural 1,752 4,941 Gen White

48 Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Once Upon a Time (TV) 1,715 5,534 F/M White

49 Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 1,697 1,884 M/M POC

50 Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein Carmilla (Web Series) 1,671 4,100 F/F White

51 Sans (Undertale)/You Undertale (Video Game) 1,641 1,641 Other Ambig

52= Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield The Hobbit - All Media Types 1,637 7,712 M/M White

52= Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz Fall Out Boy 1,637 3,952 M/M Whi/POC

54 Fox Mulder/Dana Scully The X-Files 1,553 2,880 F/M White

55 Dan Howell & Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF) 1,485 2,148 M/M White

56 Kim Namjoon | Rap Monster/Kim Seokjin | Jin Bangtan Boys | BTS 1,484 1,662 M/M POC

57 Dean Winchester/You Supernatural 1,465 2,324 Other Whi/Amb

58 Hyakuya Mikaela/Hyakuya Yuuichirou Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End 1,453 1,635 M/M POC

59 Alphys/Undyne Undertale (Video Game) 1,432 1,432 F/F Ambig

60 Pepper Potts/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 1,425 6,865 F/M White

61 Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi Haikyuu!! 1,422 2,188 M/M POC

62 Zayn Malik/Liam Payne One Direction (Band) 1,416 8,081 M/M Whi/POC

63 Clint Barton/Phil Coulson The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 1,412 8,891 M/M White

64 Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Sherlock (TV) 1,382 5,171 F/M White

65= James Bond/Q James Bond (Craig movies) 1,350 4,485 M/M White

65= James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1,350 3,441 F/M White

67 Barry Allen/Leonard Snart The Flash (TV 2014) 1,323 1,461 M/M Whi/POC

68 Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden Emmerdale 1,321 1,702 M/M White

69 Peter Parker/Wade Wilson Spider-Man - All Media Types 1,317 2,755 M/M White

70 Genos/Saitama (One-Punch Man) One-Punch Man 1,297 1,297 M/M POC

71 Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Doctor Who (2005) 1,282 4,710 F/M White

72 Fenris/Hawke Dragon Age II 1,264 3,052 Other Amb/POC

73= Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural 1,254 4,159 Gen White

73= James T. Kirk/Spock Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 1,254 7,499 M/M White

75 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1,248 4,789 F/M Whi/Amb

76 Octavia Blake/Lincoln The 100 (TV) 1,227 1,968 F/M Whi/POC

77 Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater 1,208 1,613 M/M White

78 Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann Check Please! (Webcomic) 1,197 1,446 M/M White

79 Rodney McKay/John Sheppard Stargate Atlantis 1,192 9,741 M/M White

80 Leia Organa/Han Solo Star Wars - All Media Types 1,180 1,437 F/M White

81 Michael Clifford/Luke Hemmings 5 Seconds of Summer (Band) 1,168 2,455 M/M White

82 Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald Doctor Who (2005) 1,160 1,730 F/M White

83 Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan 1,157 2,268 M/M White

84 Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 1,152 5,303 M/M White

85 Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas Homestuck 1,135 3,091 M/M Ambig

86 Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus Dragon Age: Inquisition 1,130 1,787 M/M Amb/POC

87 Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou Haikyuu!! 1,091 1,581 M/M POC

88 Enjolras/Grantaire Les Misérables - All Media Types 1,075 7,907 M/M White

89 Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus Dragon Age: Inquisition 1,063 1,925 Other Amb/POC

90 Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes The Walking Dead (TV) 1,055 2,115 M/M White

91 Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw Person of Interest (TV) 1,049 1,896 F/F Whi/POC

92 Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade Sherlock (TV) 1,040 6,027 M/M White

93 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1,026 3,714 F/M White

94 Kara Danvers/Cat Grant Supergirl (TV 2015) 1,003 1,003 F/F White

95 Korra/Asami Sato Avatar: Legend of Korra 999 2,749 F/F POC

96 Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) 997 1,501 M/M White

97 Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 995 1,147 M/M POC

98 Loki (Marvel)/Reader Marvel Cinematic Universe 992 1,086 Other Whi/Amb

99 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto 987 2,935 M/M POC

100 Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich Shameless (US) 982 6,884 M/M White