Colleen vs Emma
Colleen 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 2025, Colleen was ranked #718 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Colleen was ranked #4763 and Emma #53 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Colleen was ranked #391 and Emma #95 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Colleen and Emma over time
Colleen and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 85 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Colleen in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Colleen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Emma 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 47 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Colleen fell — from #327 and #161 in 1968 to #718 and #28 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Colleen and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 47 years, from 1968 to 2025, ending at #718 and #28.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Colleen #753 in 1996, Emma #13 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls47 shared years, 1968–2025
Colleen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 47.
Highest recorded here: Colleen #197 in 1992, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Colleen #718, Emma #28.
Northern Ireland · Girls20 shared years, 1997–2023
Colleen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 20.
Highest recorded here: Colleen #103 in 1999, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Colleen #391, Emma #95.
England and Wales · Girls18 shared years, 1996–2016
Colleen held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 18.
Highest recorded here: Colleen #753 in 1996, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Colleen #4763, Emma #53.
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 | Colleen | 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Colleen does not have one recorded yet.
- Colleen and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Colleen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Colleen
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #41 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1966
Highest recorded position: #41 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1966).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 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