Alma vs Emma
Alma and Emmacompared 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 · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #8 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alma was ranked #226 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #315 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Alma was ranked #234 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Alma and Emma over time
Alma and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 144 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Alma in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Alma 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alma and Emma changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #8 and #1.
- Longest-running competitions
Alma and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 64 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #8 and #1.
List by list
Norway · Girls64 shared years, 1945–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Emma in 56.
Highest recorded here: Alma #5 in 2023, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1977: Emma moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #313 and #422; by 1977 that had become #450 and #240.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #8, Emma #1.
Republic of Ireland · Girls51 shared years, 1964–2025
Alma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 51.
Highest recorded here: Alma #204 in 1978, Emma #2 in 1990.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alma #226, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Alma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Alma #228 in 2023, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alma #234, Emma #69.
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 | Alma | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɛm.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #8 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Alma does not have one recorded yet.
- Alma and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Alma doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Alma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #293 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #8 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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 #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls