Anna vs Emma
Anna 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, Anna was ranked #23 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #19 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2021, Anna was ranked #99 and Emma #43 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2021, Anna was ranked #85 and Emma #50 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #53 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Emma over time
Anna and Emma appear together in 6 published lists, across 299 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Anna in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 4 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 4 of those lists, Anna in 2. 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1973, Emma moved ahead of Anna in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #60 and #64 the year before became #56 and #49.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Anna and Emma averaged 25.5 places apart, ending at #125 and #69.
- Mirrored each other
Over 52 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Anna fell — from #55 and #99 in 1969 to #99 and #43 in 2021.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Emma were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 53 years, from 1969 to 2021, ending at #85 and #50.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Anna #35 in 1986, Emma #3 in 1988.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 48 of those years, Emma in 27.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2007, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2001: Emma moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #9 and #10; by 2001 that had become #13 and #9.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #23, Emma #1.
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Emma in 51.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Emma #28.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls53 shared years, 1969–2021
Anna held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Emma in 49.
Highest recorded here: Anna #35 in 1986, Emma #3 in 1988.
The order changed in 1973: Emma moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #60 and #64; by 1973 that had become #56 and #49.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Anna #85, Emma #50.
New Zealand · Girls52 shared years, 1969–2021
Anna held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Emma in 40.
Highest recorded here: Anna #3 in 1980, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1982: Emma moved ahead. In 1981 they stood at #3 and #6; by 1982 that had become #6 and #3.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Anna #99, Emma #43.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Emma in 14.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2016, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2013: Anna moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #17 and #17; by 2013 that had become #9 and #18.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #19, 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 | Anna | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, from the Hebrew root 'hanan' relating to grace. Appears in the New Testament as a prophetess who recognised Jesus as the Messiah. | 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 | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈa.na/ | /ˈɛm.ə/ |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Anna is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission origin, while Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- Anna and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- Anna'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, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Anna
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #38 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2021
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1956–2021).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 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