Axel vs Emil
Axel and Emilcompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Axel was ranked #126 and Emil #2 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Axel was ranked #129 and Emil #737 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Axel was ranked #130 and Emil #619 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Axel was ranked #252 and Emil #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Axel and Emil over time
Axel and Emil appear together in 3 published lists, across 125 years of shared records. Axel held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Emil in 1.
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.
Emil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Axel in none. 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
Axel and Emil changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #129 and #737.
- Longest-running competitions
Axel and Emil were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 79 years, from 1947 to 2025, ending at #126 and #2.
List by list
Norway · Boys79 shared years, 1947–2025
Axel held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Emil in 69.
Highest recorded here: Axel #96 in 2015, Emil #1 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Axel #126, Emil #2.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Axel held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Emil in 12.
Highest recorded here: Axel #100 in 2022, Emil #506 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Axel #129, Emil #737.
Republic of Ireland · Boys17 shared years, 2006–2025
Axel held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Emil in 8.
Highest recorded here: Axel #198 in 2023, Emil #310 in 2012.
The order changed in 2017: Axel moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #448 and #412; by 2017 that had become #374 and #443.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Axel #252, Emil #468.
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 | Axel | Emil |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From the Roman family name Aemilius, itself from Latin 'aemulus' meaning 'rival'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeː.mɪl/ | |
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #126 (2025) | Norway · Boys #2 (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
- Emil has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions); Axel does not have one recorded yet.
- Axel and Emil both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Axel doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Axel
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #332 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #126 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Emil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #271 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys