Emil vs Harald
Emil and Haraldcompared 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 Harald #109 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Emil was ranked #737 and Harald #3254 among boys in England and Wales.
Emil and Harald over time
Emil and Harald appear together in 2 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Harald reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Emil 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 1986, Emil moved ahead of Harald in Norway · Boys — #150 and #116 the year before became #132 and #143.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Harald were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #109.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Harald in 41.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2008, Harald #8 in 1945.
The order changed in 1986: Emil moved ahead. In 1985 they stood at #150 and #116; by 1986 that had become #132 and #143.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #2, Harald #109.
England and Wales · Boys8 shared years, 1997–2024
Emil held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Harald in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emil #506 in 2015, Harald #2859 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emil #737, Harald #3254.
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 | Harald |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| 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 #109 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| 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); Harald does not have one recorded yet.
- Emil and Harald both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Harald 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
Harald
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #8 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 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #109 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys