Dorthea vs Emma
Dorthea 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.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Dorthea was ranked #430 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Dorthea and Emma over time
Dorthea and Emma appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Dorthea 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.
Dorthea reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1994, Emma moved ahead of Dorthea in Norway · Girls — #323 and #342 the year before became #567 and #80.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Dorthea #304 in 2001, Emma #1 in 2003.
List by list
Norway · Girls27 shared years, 1945–2025
Dorthea held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Emma in 26.
Highest recorded here: Dorthea #304 in 2001, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1994: Emma moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #323 and #342; by 1994 that had become #567 and #80.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Dorthea #430, Emma #1.
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 | Dorthea | 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 | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #430 (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) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Dorthea does not have one recorded yet.
- Dorthea and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Dorthea doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Dorthea
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #323 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #304 among girls in Norway, in 2001 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #430 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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