Charles vs Emil
Charles 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, Charles was ranked #455 and Emil #2 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Charles was ranked #119 and Emil #737 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2014, Charles was ranked #135 and Emil #398 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Charles was ranked #160 and Emil #619 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Charles was ranked #188 and Emil #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Charles and Emil over time
Charles and Emil appear together in 3 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Charles 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.
Charles reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Emil 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
Charles and Emil changed places 11 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #455 and #2.
- Mirrored each other
Over 65 shared years in Norway · Boys, Emil rose about as far as Charles fell — from #224 and #271 in 1945 to #455 and #2 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Charles and Emil were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 65 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #455 and #2.
List by list
Norway · Boys65 shared years, 1945–2025
Charles held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Emil in 43.
Highest recorded here: Charles #177 in 1949, Emil #1 in 2017.
The order changed in 1973: Emil moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #325 and #361; by 1973 that had become #435 and #217.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charles #455, Emil #2.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Charles held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Emil in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charles #41 in 1998, Emil #506 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Charles #119, Emil #737.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2006–2025
Charles held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Emil in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charles #83 in 2006, Emil #310 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charles #188, 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 | Charles | 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 | Not yet recorded | /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, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #94 (2025) | Norway · Boys #2 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 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); Charles does not have one recorded yet.
- Charles and Emil both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Charles 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
Charles
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #224 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #41 among boys in England and Wales, in 1998 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #94 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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