Eli vs Emma
Eli 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, Eli was ranked #221 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Eli was ranked #4843 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Eli and Emma over time
Eli and Emma appear together in 2 published lists, across 100 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Eli 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 1986, Emma moved ahead of Eli in Norway · Girls — #161 and #162 the year before became #137 and #124.
- Longest-running competitions
Eli and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 75 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #221 and #1.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2025
Eli held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Emma in 40.
Highest recorded here: Eli #30 in 1945, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1986: Emma moved ahead. In 1985 they stood at #161 and #162; by 1986 that had become #137 and #124.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eli #221, Emma #1.
England and Wales · Girls25 shared years, 1996–2024
Eli held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 25.
Highest recorded here: Eli #2189 in 1999, Emma #14 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eli #4843, 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 | Eli | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | 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, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #89 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Eli does not have one recorded yet.
- Eli and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Eli doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Eli
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #30 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: #30 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #89 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
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