Clodagh vs Emily
Clodagh and Emilycompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #20 and Emily #5 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Clodagh was ranked #47 and Emily #6 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #431 and Emily #7 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #1036 and Emily #34 among girls in England and Wales.
Clodagh and Emily over time
Clodagh and Emily appear together in 3 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Emily held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Clodagh 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.
Clodagh reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Emily 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1987, Emily moved ahead of Clodagh in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #102 and #104 the year before became #132 and #109.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Clodagh and Emily changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #47 and #6.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Clodagh and Emily averaged 45.3 places apart, ending at #20 and #5.
- Longest-running competitions
Clodagh and Emily were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #47 and #6.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Clodagh #34 in 2009, Emily #1 in 2011.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Clodagh held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Emily in 47.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #34 in 2009, Emily #1 in 2011.
The order changed in 1987: Emily moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #102 and #104; by 1987 that had become #132 and #109.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Clodagh #47, Emily #6.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Clodagh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emily in 29.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #897 in 1997, Emily #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clodagh #1036, Emily #34.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Clodagh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emily in 28.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #20 in 2024, Emily #1 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clodagh #20, Emily #5.
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 | Clodagh | Emily |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A place-derived name, taken from the River Clodiagh in County Waterford, rather than from a traditional Irish word root. Popularised as a personal name by Clodagh Beresford (1879-1957), daughter of the Marquess of Waterford. | Rival, striving, eager (traditional interpretation of the Latin root). |
| Origin | Irish | Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkloʊdə/ | /ˈɛməli/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Em, Emmy, Emilie, Amelia, Aemilia |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #47 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #6 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 74/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Clodagh is recorded with a Irish origin, while Emily is recorded with a Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia origin.
- Clodagh has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Emily.
- Clodagh's recorded meaning differs from Emily's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
- The available evidence gives Clodagh a "medium" Data Confidence level and Emily a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Clodagh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #149 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 recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #20 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #47 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Emily
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #180 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 recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls