Chloe vs Emma
Chloe 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 2025, Chloe was ranked #341 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Chloe was ranked #7 and Emma #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Chloe was ranked #22 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Chloe was ranked #23 and Emma #67 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Chloe was ranked #39 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Chloe was ranked #72 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Chloe was ranked #105 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Chloe and Emma over time
Chloe and Emma appear together in 5 published lists, across 182 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Chloe in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 4 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 2 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1998, Chloe moved ahead of Emma in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #6 and #4 the year before became #4 and #5.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Chloe and Emma changed places 9 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #105 and #84.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Chloe and Emma averaged 21.7 places apart, ending at #72 and #69.
- Longest-running competitions
Chloe and Emma were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 41 years, from 1985 to 2025, ending at #7 and #65.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Chloe #1 in 1997, Emma #13 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls48 shared years, 1974–2025
Chloe held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Emma in 44.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1998, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2025: Chloe moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #20 and #17; by 2025 that had become #22 and #28.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Chloe #22, Emma #28.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls41 shared years, 1985–2025
Chloe held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Emma in 13.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 2006, Emma #3 in 1988.
The order changed in 1998: Chloe moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #6 and #4; by 1998 that had become #4 and #5.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Chloe #7, Emma #65.
New Zealand · Girls36 shared years, 1986–2023
Chloe held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Emma in 23.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #8 in 2010, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2016: Chloe moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #14 and #13; by 2016 that had become #14 and #26.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Chloe #23, Emma #67.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Chloe held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Emma in 1.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1997, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Chloe #72, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Chloe held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Emma in 14.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1997, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2024: Emma moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #64 and #95; by 2024 that had become #105 and #84.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Chloe #105, Emma #84.
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 | Chloe | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'green shoot', referring to new plant growth in spring; used as an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. | 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 | Ancient Greek | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkloʊi/ | /ˈɛm.ə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #7 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Chloe is recorded with a Ancient Greek origin, while Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- Chloe has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Emma.
- Chloe's recorded meaning differs from Emma's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Chloe
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #490 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 1997 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #7 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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