Cliona vs Emma
Cliona 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Cliona was ranked #856 and Emma #19 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Cliona was ranked #4056 and Emma #71 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Cliona was ranked #391 and Emma #95 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Cliona and Emma over time
Cliona and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 101 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Cliona 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.
Cliona reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Emma in 1. 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Cliona and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 58 years, from 1964 to 2023, ending at #856 and #19.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Cliona #106 in 2001, Emma #1 in 2003.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls58 shared years, 1964–2023
Cliona held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Emma in 56.
Highest recorded here: Cliona #83 in 1998, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1966: Emma moved ahead. In 1965 they stood at #192 and #198; by 1966 that had become #256 and #226.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cliona #856, Emma #19.
Northern Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1997–2023
Cliona held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 25.
Highest recorded here: Cliona #106 in 2001, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cliona #391, Emma #95.
England and Wales · Girls18 shared years, 1996–2023
Cliona held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 18.
Highest recorded here: Cliona #1372 in 2002, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cliona #4056, Emma #71.
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 | Cliona | 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Girls #391 (2023) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Cliona does not have one recorded yet.
- Cliona and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Cliona doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Cliona
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #226 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2023
Highest recorded position: #83 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1964–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4056 among girls in England and Wales, in 2023.
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