Emily vs Ethna
Emily and Ethnacompared 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 · Girls
In 1991, Emily was ranked #65 and Ethna #515 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Emily and Ethna over time
Emily and Ethna appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Emily held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ethna in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ethna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emily 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
Emily and Ethna changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 1991, ending at #65 and #515.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls21 shared years, 1964–1991
Emily held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Ethna in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emily #65 in 1991, Ethna #202 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1991: Emily #65, Ethna #515.
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 | Emily | Ethna |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Rival, striving, eager (traditional interpretation of the Latin root). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛməli/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Em, Emmy, Emilie, Amelia, Aemilia | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #6 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #515 (1991) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Emily has a recorded origin (Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia); Ethna does not have one recorded yet.
- Emily has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Ethna.
- A meaning is recorded for Emily; Ethna doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
- The available evidence gives Emily a "high" Data Confidence level and Ethna a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Emily
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Ethna
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #226 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1991
Highest recorded position: #202 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–1991).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1991
Most recently recorded at #515 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1991.
Republic of Ireland · Girls