Clara vs Emma
Clara 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, Clara was ranked #121 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Clara was ranked #73 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2020, Clara was ranked #87 and Emma #36 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Clara was ranked #36 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Clara was ranked #83 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Clara was ranked #99 and Emma #67 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Clara was ranked #84 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Clara and Emma over time
Clara and Emma appear together in 4 published lists, across 162 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Clara 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.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Clara 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Clara moved ahead of Emma in Northern Ireland · Girls — #53 and #46 the year before became #65 and #95.
- Longest-running competitions
Clara and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 44 years, from 1951 to 2025, ending at #121 and #1.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls61 shared years, 1964–2025
Clara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 61.
Highest recorded here: Clara #59 in 2019, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Clara #73, Emma #28.
Norway · Girls44 shared years, 1951–2025
Clara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 44.
Highest recorded here: Clara #121 in 2025, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Clara #121, Emma #1.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Clara held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Clara #84 in 2024, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clara #84, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Clara held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Emma in 24.
Highest recorded here: Clara #32 in 2017, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2023: Clara moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #53 and #46; by 2023 that had become #65 and #95.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clara #36, 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 | Clara | 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 | /ˈɛm.ə/ | |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #73 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 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
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Clara does not have one recorded yet.
- Clara and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Clara doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Clara
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #389 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #32 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2017 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #121 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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