Aoife vs Emma
Aoife 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #4 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Aoife was ranked #34 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #87 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #220 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Aoife and Emma over time
Aoife and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Aoife in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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, Aoife 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2011, Aoife moved ahead of Emma in Northern Ireland · Girls — #11 and #9 the year before became #15 and #16.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Aoife and Emma changed places 9 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #34 and #28.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Aoife and Emma averaged 19.2 places apart, ending at #4 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Aoife and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #34 and #28.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Aoife held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Emma in 49.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #1 in 2000, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2003: Emma moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #2 and #4; by 2003 that had become #3 and #1.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aoife #34, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Aoife held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #167 in 2015, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aoife #220, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Aoife held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Emma in 14.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #4 in 2024, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2011: Aoife moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #11 and #9; by 2011 that had become #15 and #16.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aoife #4, 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 | Aoife | 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-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #34 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Aoife does not have one recorded yet.
- Aoife and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Aoife doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Aoife
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #206 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #34 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · 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