Elly vs Emma
Elly 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, Elly was ranked #432 and Emma #1 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Elly was ranked #898 and Emma #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Elly was ranked #2574 and Emma #69 among girls in England and Wales.
Elly and Emma over time
Elly and Emma appear together in 3 published lists, across 76 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Elly 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.
Elly reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Emma 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elly and Emma changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #432 and #1.
- Mirrored each other
Over 35 shared years in Norway · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Elly fell — from #170 and #342 in 1945 to #432 and #1 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Elly and Emma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 35 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #432 and #1.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Elly #443 in 2002, Emma #1 in 2003.
List by list
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1945–2025
Elly held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Emma in 25.
Highest recorded here: Elly #170 in 1945, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order changed in 1966: Emma moved ahead. In 1965 they stood at #352 and #384; by 1966 that had become #512 and #425.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elly #432, Emma #1.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Elly held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 29.
Highest recorded here: Elly #508 in 2002, Emma #13 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elly #2574, Emma #69.
Republic of Ireland · Girls12 shared years, 2000–2024
Elly held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emma in 12.
Highest recorded here: Elly #443 in 2002, Emma #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elly #898, Emma #17.
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 | Elly | 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 | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #432 (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); Elly does not have one recorded yet.
- Elly and Emma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Elly doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elly
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #170 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: #170 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #432 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