Emily vs Josefine
Emily and Josefinecompared 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 · Girls
In 2025, Emily was ranked #71 and Josefine #24 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Emily was ranked #28 and Josefine #5687 among girls in England and Wales.
Emily and Josefine over time
Emily and Josefine appear together in 2 published lists, across 57 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.
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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Josefine moved ahead of Emily in Norway · Girls — #52 and #57 the year before became #62 and #42.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emily and Josefine changed places 17 times in Norway · Girls between 1982 and 2025, ending at #71 and #24.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 44 shared years in Norway · Girls, Emily and Josefine averaged 48.7 places apart, ending at #71 and #24.
- Longest-running competitions
Emily and Josefine were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 44 years, from 1982 to 2025, ending at #71 and #24.
List by list
Norway · Girls44 shared years, 1982–2025
Emily held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Josefine in 24.
Highest recorded here: Emily #47 in 2014, Josefine #24 in 2025.
The order changed in 2023: Josefine moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #52 and #57; by 2023 that had become #62 and #42.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emily #71, Josefine #24.
England and Wales · Girls13 shared years, 1998–2023
Emily held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Josefine in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emily #1 in 2003, Josefine #3225 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emily #28, Josefine #5687.
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 | Josefine |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| 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 | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #6 (2025) | Norway · Girls #24 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Emily has a recorded origin (Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia); Josefine does not have one recorded yet.
- Emily has 3 syllables, compared with 4 for Josefine.
- A meaning is recorded for Emily; Josefine doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
- The available evidence gives Emily a "high" Data Confidence level and Josefine 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 recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #44 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Josefine
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #606 among girls in Norway in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1975–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1975–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #24 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls