Adrian vs Emil
Adrian and Emilcompared 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adrian was ranked #70 and Emil #2 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adrian was ranked #244 and Emil #737 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adrian was ranked #348 and Emil #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2014, Adrian was ranked #398 and Emil #398 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adrian was ranked #478 and Emil #619 among boys in Scotland.
Adrian and Emil over time
Adrian and Emil appear together in 3 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Adrian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Emil in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Adrian reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Emil 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.
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
Adrian and Emil changed places 16 times in Norway · Boys between 1958 and 2025, ending at #70 and #2.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 65 shared years in Norway · Boys, Adrian and Emil averaged 38.1 places apart, ending at #70 and #2.
- Longest-running competitions
Adrian and Emil were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 65 years, from 1958 to 2025, ending at #70 and #2.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Adrian #110 in 2010, Emil #310 in 2012.
List by list
Norway · Boys65 shared years, 1958–2025
Adrian held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Emil in 42.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #3 in 2005, Emil #1 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adrian #70, Emil #2.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adrian held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Emil in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #190 in 2009, Emil #506 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adrian #244, Emil #737.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2006–2025
Adrian held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Emil in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adrian #110 in 2010, Emil #310 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adrian #348, Emil #468.
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 | Adrian | Emil |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Latin name Hadrianus. Borne by several saints and six popes, including the only English pope, Adrian IV. | From the Roman family name Aemilius, itself from Latin 'aemulus' meaning 'rival'. |
| Origin | Latin | Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪ.dɹi.ən/ | /ˈeː.mɪl/ |
| 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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #70 (2025) | Norway · Boys #2 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adrian is recorded with a Latin origin, while Emil is recorded with a Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions origin.
- Adrian and Emil both have 2 syllables.
- Adrian's recorded meaning differs from Emil's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Adrian
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #87 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 recorded1958–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1958–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #70 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Emil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #271 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys