Eleanor vs Emma
Eleanor 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, Eleanor was ranked #106 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Eleanor was ranked #31 and Emma #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Eleanor was ranked #52 and Emma #67 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Eleanor was ranked #113 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Eleanor was ranked #67 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Eleanor was ranked #150 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Eleanor and Emma over time
Eleanor and Emma appear together in 5 published lists, across 140 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Eleanor in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 3 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 4 of those lists, Eleanor 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 2021, Eleanor moved ahead of Emma in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #45 and #36 the year before became #48 and #50.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Eleanor and Emma changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #67 and #69.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Eleanor and Emma averaged 8.6 places apart, ending at #67 and #69.
- Longest-running competitions
Eleanor and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #106 and #28.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Eleanor #18 in 1999, Emma #13 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Eleanor held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Emma in 55.
Highest recorded here: Eleanor #93 in 1968, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1972: Emma moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #124 and #131; by 1972 that had become #110 and #86.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eleanor #106, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Eleanor held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Emma in 19.
Highest recorded here: Eleanor #18 in 1999, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eleanor #67, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Eleanor held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 28.
Highest recorded here: Eleanor #139 in 2021, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eleanor #150, Emma #84.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls12 shared years, 2014–2025
Eleanor held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Emma in 7.
Highest recorded here: Eleanor #31 in 2025, Emma #20 in 2014.
The order changed in 2021: Eleanor moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #45 and #36; by 2021 that had become #48 and #50.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eleanor #31, Emma #65.
New Zealand · Girls9 shared years, 2015–2023
Eleanor held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Emma in 7.
Highest recorded here: Eleanor #50 in 2022, Emma #13 in 2015.
The order changed in 2022: Eleanor moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #69 and #43; by 2022 that had become #50 and #55.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Eleanor #52, Emma #67.
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 | Eleanor | 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 | /ˈɛm.ə/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #31 (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); Eleanor does not have one recorded yet.
- Eleanor has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Emma.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Eleanor doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Eleanor
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #98 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: #18 among girls in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #31 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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