Catharina vs Emma
Catharina 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 2014, Catharina was ranked #549 and Emma #2 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1979, Catharina was ranked #523 and Emma #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2019, Catharina was ranked #5591 and Emma #59 among girls in England and Wales.
Catharina and Emma over time
Catharina and Emma appear together in 1 published list, across 43 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Catharina 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.
Catharina reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emma 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
Catharina and Emma changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1963 and 2014, ending at #549 and #2.
- Mirrored each other
Over 43 shared years in Norway · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Catharina fell — from #316 and #415 in 1963 to #549 and #2 in 2014.
- Longest-running competitions
Catharina and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 43 years, from 1963 to 2014, ending at #549 and #2.
List by list
Norway · Girls43 shared years, 1963–2014
Catharina held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Emma in 36.
Highest recorded here: Catharina #238 in 1989, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1977: Emma moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #371 and #422; by 1977 that had become #342 and #240.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Catharina #549, Emma #2.
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 | Catharina | 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5591 (2019) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Catharina does not have one recorded yet.
- Catharina has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Emma.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Catharina doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Catharina
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #460 among girls in Norway in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1960–2014
Highest recorded position: #238 among girls in Norway, in 1989 (recorded 1960–2014).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #5591 among girls in England and Wales, in 2019.
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