Elma vs Martha
Elma and Marthacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Elma was ranked #1079 and Martha #164 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2008, Elma was ranked #862 and Martha #164 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Elma was ranked #288 and Martha #225 among girls in Norway.
Elma and Martha over time
Elma and Martha appear together in 3 published lists, across 66 years of shared records. Martha held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Elma in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Martha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Elma 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
Elma and Martha changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1981 and 2025, ending at #288 and #225.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Elma #347 in 1983, Martha #162 in 1985.
List by list
Norway · Girls26 shared years, 1981–2025
Elma held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Martha in 24.
Highest recorded here: Elma #224 in 2022, Martha #210 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elma #288, Martha #225.
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 1999–2025
Elma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Martha in 23.
Highest recorded here: Elma #1079 in 2025, Martha #67 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elma #1079, Martha #164.
Republic of Ireland · Girls17 shared years, 1971–2008
Elma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Martha in 17.
Highest recorded here: Elma #347 in 1983, Martha #162 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Elma #862, Martha #164.
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 | Elma | Martha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #288 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #164 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elma and Martha both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elma
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #224 among girls in Norway, in 2022 (recorded 1981–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1079 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Martha
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #158 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #67 among girls in England and Wales, in 2015 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #164 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls