Delia vs Emma
Delia 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, Delia was ranked #483 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Delia was ranked #446 and Emma #55 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Delia was ranked #1353 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Delia and Emma over time
Delia and Emma appear together in 2 published lists, across 64 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Delia 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 1965, Emma moved ahead of Delia in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #234 and #245 the year before became #297 and #198.
- Mirrored each other
Over 37 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Delia fell — from #234 and #245 in 1964 to #483 and #28 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Delia and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 37 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #483 and #28.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls37 shared years, 1964–2025
Delia held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Emma in 36.
Highest recorded here: Delia #234 in 1964, Emma #1 in 2005.
The order changed in 1965: Emma moved ahead. In 1964 they stood at #234 and #245; by 1965 that had become #297 and #198.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Delia #483, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls27 shared years, 1996–2024
Delia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 27.
Highest recorded here: Delia #699 in 2021, Emma #14 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Delia #1353, Emma #69.
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 | Delia | 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 | Republic of Ireland · Girls #483 (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); Delia does not have one recorded yet.
- Delia and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Delia doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Delia
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #234 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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #234 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #483 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