Emil vs Ricky

Emil and Rickycompared 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.

Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Emil was ranked #770 and Ricky #660 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Emil was ranked #737 and Ricky #1951 among boys in England and Wales.

Emil and Ricky over time

Emil and Ricky appear together in 2 published lists, across 40 years of shared records. Emil held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Ricky in 0.

The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

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.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emil held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Ricky in 14.
Highest recorded here: Emil #506 in 2015, Ricky #146 in 1996.
The order changed in 2010: Emil moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #760 and #581; by 2010 that had become #668 and #1109.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emil #737, Ricky #1951.
Republic of Ireland · Boys11 shared years, 2006–2023
Emil held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Ricky in 2.
Highest recorded here: Emil #346 in 2008, Ricky #443 in 2017.
The order changed in 2021: Ricky moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #466 and #506; by 2021 that had become #755 and #552.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emil #770, Ricky #660.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Emil

Pairs where Emil shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Emil vs Aksel
Emil and Aksel were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #25.
Emil · Aksel · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Emil vs Anders
Emil and Anders were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #293.
Emil · Anders · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Emil vs Arne
Emil and Arne were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #222.
Emil · Arne · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Emil vs Bjørn
Emil and Bjørn were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #2 and #56.
Emil · Bjørn · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Emil, Ricky
Field	Emil	Ricky
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	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Norway · Boys #2 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #1951 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
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); Ricky does not have one recorded yet.
Emil and Ricky both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Emil; Ricky doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.

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

Ricky

Popularity journey

First recorded1959
First recorded at #92 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1959–1986
Highest recorded position: #68 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1959–1986).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1951 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys