Aimee vs Emma
Aimee and Emma compared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2006, Aimee was ranked #92 and Emma #4 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1993, Aimee was ranked #87 and Emma #6 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Aimee was ranked #885 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Aimee was ranked #541 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Aimee was ranked #179 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Aimee was ranked #1809 and Emma #85 among girls in England and Wales.
Aimee and Emma over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Aimee and Emma over time
Aimee and Emma appear together in 4 published lists, across 135 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Aimee in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Aimee in 1. 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Aimee and Emma averaged 53.7 places apart, ending at #92 and #4.
- Longest-running competitions
Aimee and Emma were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #1809 and #85.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Aimee #9 in 2004, Emma #1 in 2003.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls49 shared years, 1977–2025
Aimee held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 49.
Highest recorded here: Aimee #46 in 2005, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aimee #885, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Aimee held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 30.
Highest recorded here: Aimee #47 in 2004, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aimee #1809, Emma #85.
New Zealand · Girls28 shared years, 1979–2006
Aimee held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 28.
Highest recorded here: Aimee #31 in 1983, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2006: Aimee #92, Emma #4.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Aimee held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 28.
Highest recorded here: Aimee #9 in 2004, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aimee #179, Emma #84.
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 | Aimee | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A variant of Amy, influenced by the French Aimée, carrying associations of love ('beloved'). | A shortened form of Germanic names beginning with the element 'irmin' ('whole, great'), from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, wife of King Ethelred II and later King Canute; further popularised by Jane Austen's 1816 novel Emma. |
| Origin | French, cognate with Amy | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪ.mi/ | /ˈɛm.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Amy, Aimée | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Aimee is recorded with a French, cognate with Amy origin, while Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- Aimee and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- Aimee's recorded meaning differs from Emma's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Aimee a "high" Data Confidence level and Emma a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Aimee
Popularity journey
First recorded1977
First recorded at #429 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1977 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #9 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1809 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Emma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #342 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1969–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 2003 (recorded 1969–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #85 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls