Clodagh vs Emma
Clodagh 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #20 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Clodagh was ranked #47 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #431 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #1036 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Clodagh and Emma over time
Clodagh and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Clodagh in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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 2 of those lists, and Clodagh 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 took the other's place near the top
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Clodagh moved into the top 50 at #36 in 2021 as Emma fell out of it to #55, having been #40 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2021, Clodagh moved ahead of Emma in Northern Ireland · Girls — #47 and #40 the year before became #36 and #55.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Clodagh and Emma changed places 7 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #47 and #28.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Clodagh and Emma averaged 47.4 places apart, ending at #20 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Clodagh and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #47 and #28.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Clodagh #897 in 1997, Emma #13 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Clodagh held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Emma in 57.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #34 in 2009, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1972: Emma moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #85 and #131; by 1972 that had become #91 and #86.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Clodagh #47, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Clodagh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #897 in 1997, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clodagh #1036, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Clodagh held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Emma in 24.
Highest recorded here: Clodagh #20 in 2024, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2021: Clodagh moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #47 and #40; by 2021 that had become #36 and #55.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Clodagh #20, 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 | Clodagh | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | Irish | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkloʊdə/ | /ˈɛm.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| 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) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 74/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Clodagh is recorded with a Irish origin, while Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- Clodagh and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- Clodagh's recorded meaning differs from Emma's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
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
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