Elena vs Embla
Elena and Emblacompared 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, Elena was ranked #99 and Embla #96 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Elena was ranked #146 and Embla #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Elena and Embla over time
Elena and Embla appear together in 1 published list, across 33 years of shared records. Elena held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Embla in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Elena reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Embla 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elena and Embla changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1993 and 2025, ending at #99 and #96.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 33 shared years in Norway · Girls, Elena and Embla averaged 41.3 places apart, ending at #99 and #96.
- Longest-running competitions
Elena and Embla were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 33 years, from 1993 to 2025, ending at #99 and #96.
List by list
Norway · Girls33 shared years, 1993–2025
Elena held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Embla in 8.
Highest recorded here: Elena #82 in 2018, Embla #96 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elena #99, Embla #96.
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 | Elena | Embla |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Often glossed as 'torch' or 'bright, shining light', though this is genuinely contested. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛlənə/ (also /eɪˈleɪnə/) | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Helena, Elena, Lena | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | United Kingdom #42 (2025) | Norway · Girls #96 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elena has a recorded origin (Greek); Embla does not have one recorded yet.
- Elena has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Embla.
- A meaning is recorded for Elena; Embla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Elena
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #370 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded2017–2025
Highest recorded position: #56 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2019 (recorded 2017–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #63 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Embla
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #257 among girls in Norway in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2025
Highest recorded position: #96 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1993–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #96 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls