Cheryl vs Elma

Cheryl and Elmacompared 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.

Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1995, Cheryl was ranked #451 and Elma #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cheryl was ranked #5891 and Elma #1406 among girls in England and Wales.

Cheryl and Elma over time

Cheryl and Elma appear together in 2 published lists, across 37 years of shared records. Cheryl held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Elma 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.

List by list

England and Wales · Girls21 shared years, 1999–2024
Cheryl held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Elma in 5.
Highest recorded here: Cheryl #865 in 2009, Elma #1406 in 2024.
The order changed in 2018: Elma moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #2090 and #2341; by 2018 that had become #2674 and #2187.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cheryl #5891, Elma #1406.
Republic of Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 1971–1995
Cheryl held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Elma in 1.
Highest recorded here: Cheryl #207 in 1991, Elma #347 in 1983.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1995: Cheryl #451, Elma #417.

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 Cheryl

Pairs where Cheryl shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Christine vs Cheryl
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Christine #1 in 1952, Cheryl #11 in 1952.
Christine · Cheryl · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Susan vs Cheryl
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Susan #1 in 1954, Cheryl #11 in 1952.
Susan · Cheryl · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1954 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Kerry vs Cheryl
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Kerry and Cheryl averaged 5.1 places apart, ending at #79 and #94.
Kerry · Cheryl · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1972 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Anne vs Cheryl
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Anne and Cheryl averaged 6.5 places apart, ending at #75 and #94.
Anne · Cheryl · 21 shared years, 1952–1972 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1972 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Cheryl, Elma
Field	Cheryl	Elma
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	female	female
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Origin	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ	GB-ENW, IE, NO
Most recent popularity observation	England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024)	Norway · Girls #288 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	88/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Cheryl and Elma both have 2 syllables.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Cheryl

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1972
Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1972).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls

Elma

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 recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #224 among girls in Norway, in 2022 (recorded 1981–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls