Emil vs Herman
Emil and Hermancompared 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 Herman #20 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2018, Emil was ranked #731 and Herman #4749 among boys in England and Wales.
Emil and Herman over time
Emil and Herman appear together in 1 published list, across 76 years of shared records. Emil held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Herman 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.
Emil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Herman 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emil and Herman changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #2 and #20.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Herman were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 76 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #20.
List by list
Norway · Boys76 shared years, 1945–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 73 of those years, Herman in 3.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2008, Herman #20 in 2025.
The order changed in 1968: Emil moved ahead. In 1967 they stood at #420 and #365; by 1968 that had become #281 and #388.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #2, Herman #20.
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 | Herman |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #20 (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); Herman does not have one recorded yet.
- Emil and Herman both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emil; Herman 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
Herman
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #212 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: #20 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #20 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys