Ashleigh vs Emma
Ashleigh 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2005, Ashleigh was ranked #72 and Emma #1 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2005, Ashleigh was ranked #87 and Emma #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Ashleigh was ranked #764 and Emma #15 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2016, Ashleigh was ranked #440 and Emma #25 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ashleigh was ranked #1819 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Ashleigh and Emma over time
Ashleigh and Emma appear together in 5 published lists, across 123 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Ashleigh in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ashleigh reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Emma 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 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ashleigh and Emma averaged 26.4 places apart, ending at #87 and #11.
- Mirrored each other
Over 37 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Ashleigh fell — from #417 and #131 in 1971 to #764 and #15 in 2021.
- Longest-running competitions
Ashleigh and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 37 years, from 1971 to 2021, ending at #764 and #15.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ashleigh #58 in 1996, Emma #13 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls37 shared years, 1971–2021
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 37.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #162 in 1995, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ashleigh #764, Emma #15.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #58 in 1996, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ashleigh #1819, Emma #69.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls21 shared years, 1985–2005
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #13 in 1993, Emma #3 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Ashleigh #87, Emma #11.
New Zealand · Girls20 shared years, 1986–2005
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 20.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #8 in 1992, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Ashleigh #72, Emma #1.
Northern Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 1997–2016
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 16.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #87 in 1997, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Ashleigh #440, Emma #25.
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 | Ashleigh | 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #1819 (2024) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 53/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Ashleigh does not have one recorded yet.
- Ashleigh and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Ashleigh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Ashleigh
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1986–2005
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in New Zealand, in 1992 (recorded 1986–2005).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1819 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
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 #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls