Ellie vs Emma
Ellie 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, Ellie was ranked #33 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ellie was ranked #15 and Emma #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ellie was ranked #18 and Emma #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ellie was ranked #32 and Emma #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ellie was ranked #35 and Emma #53 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ellie was ranked #40 and Emma #67 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ellie was ranked #88 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Ellie and Emma over time
Ellie and Emma appear together in 6 published lists, across 148 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Ellie in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 4 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 6 of those lists, and Ellie 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 2019, Ellie moved ahead of Emma in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #43 and #31 the year before became #34 and #40.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ellie and Emma changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #18 and #84.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ellie and Emma averaged 12.5 places apart, ending at #88 and #69.
- Longest-running competitions
Ellie and Emma were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 34 years, from 1987 to 2025, ending at #15 and #28.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ellie #3 in 2005, Emma #1 in 2003.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls34 shared years, 1987–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Emma in 28.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #6 in 2023, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2022: Ellie moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #16 and #15; by 2022 that had become #9 and #11.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #15, Emma #28.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ellie held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Emma in 10.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #2 in 2003, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ellie #88, Emma #69.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ellie held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Emma in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #3 in 2005, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 2018: Ellie moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #22 and #22; by 2018 that had become #25 and #27.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ellie #18, Emma #84.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls25 shared years, 1992–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Emma in 18.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #25 in 2023, Emma #6 in 1992.
The order changed in 2019: Ellie moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #43 and #31; by 2019 that had become #34 and #40.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #32, Emma #65.
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 2005–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #30 in 2021, Emma #1 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #33, Emma #1.
New Zealand · Girls13 shared years, 2011–2023
Ellie held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Emma in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #31 in 2021, Emma #13 in 2012.
The order changed in 2020: Ellie moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #41 and #27; by 2020 that had become #39 and #45.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ellie #40, 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 | Ellie | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A diminutive of several longer names, particularly Eleanor, Ellen and Elizabeth. | 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 | Various, diminutive form | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.i/ | /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 | Republic of Ireland · Girls #15 (2025) | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Ellie is recorded with a Various, diminutive form origin, while Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- Ellie and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- Ellie's recorded meaning differs from Emma's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Ellie
Popularity journey
First recorded1987
First recorded at #488 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1987 — 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: #2 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #32 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