Emil vs Espen
Emil and Espencompared 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 · Boys
In 2025, Emil was ranked #2 and Espen #430 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Emil was ranked #737 and Espen #5119 among boys in England and Wales.
Emil and Espen over time
Emil and Espen appear together in 2 published lists, across 97 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emil and Espen changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #2 and #430.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Espen were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #430.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Emil #631 in 2016, Espen #2693 in 2018.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Espen in 45.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2008, Espen #8 in 1982.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #2, Espen #430.
England and Wales · Boys16 shared years, 2002–2024
Emil held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Espen in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emil #631 in 2016, Espen #2693 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emil #737, Espen #5119.
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 | Emil | Espen |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Roman family name Aemilius, itself from Latin 'aemulus' meaning 'rival'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeː.mɪl/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #2 (2025) | Norway · Boys #430 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emil has a recorded origin (Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions); Espen does not have one recorded yet.
- Emil and Espen both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Espen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Emil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #271 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Espen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #315 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in Norway, in 1982 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #430 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys