Bettina vs Emma
Bettina 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 2012, Bettina was ranked #460 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Bettina was ranked #5669 and Emma #68 among girls in England and Wales.
Bettina and Emma over time
Bettina and Emma appear together in 2 published lists, across 61 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Bettina 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Bettina and Emma changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1959 and 2012, ending at #460 and #1.
- Longest-running competitions
Bettina and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 48 years, from 1959 to 2012, ending at #460 and #1.
List by list
Norway · Girls48 shared years, 1959–2012
Bettina held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Emma in 39.
Highest recorded here: Bettina #200 in 1995, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1977: Emma moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #418 and #422; by 1977 that had become #491 and #240.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Bettina #460, Emma #1.
England and Wales · Girls13 shared years, 1996–2022
Bettina held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 13.
Highest recorded here: Bettina #3156 in 2010, Emma #14 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Bettina #5669, Emma #68.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Emma
Pairs where Emma shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Emma vs Danielle
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #20 in England and Wales · Girls, 6 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #934.
Emma · Danielle · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #539.
Emma · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Megan
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #10 in England and Wales · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #503.
Emma · Megan · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Courtney
In 1997 they stood at #4 and #12 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2017 they were #22 and #432.
Emma · Courtney · 21 shared years, 1997–2017 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Bettina | 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 | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5669 (2022) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Bettina does not have one recorded yet.
- Bettina has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Emma.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Bettina doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Bettina
Popularity journey
First recorded1959
First recorded at #407 among girls in Norway in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1959–2012
Highest recorded position: #200 among girls in Norway, in 1995 (recorded 1959–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #5669 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
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