Emma vs Hege
Emma and Hegecompared 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 2012, Emma was ranked #1 and Hege #580 among girls in Norway.
Emma and Hege over time
Emma and Hege appear together in 1 published list, across 59 years of shared records. Hege held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Emma 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.
Hege reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emma 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 1994, Emma moved ahead of Hege in Norway · Girls — #89 and #84 the year before became #80 and #85.
- Mirrored each other
Over 59 shared years in Norway · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Hege fell — from #342 and #304 in 1945 to #1 and #580 in 2012.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Hege were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 59 years, from 1945 to 2012, ending at #1 and #580.
List by list
Norway · Girls59 shared years, 1945–2012
Emma held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Hege in 43.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Hege #2 in 1970.
The order changed in 1994: Emma moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #89 and #84; by 1994 that had become #80 and #85.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Emma #1, Hege #580.
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 | Emma | Hege |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A shortened form of Germanic names beginning with the element 'irmin' ('whole, great'), from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, wife of King Ethelred II and later King Canute; further popularised by Jane Austen's 1816 novel Emma. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #580 (2012) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Hege does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma and Hege both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Hege doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Emma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #342 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1969–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 2003 (recorded 1969–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Hege
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #304 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2012
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1970 (recorded 1945–2012).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2012
Most recently recorded at #580 among girls in Norway, in 2012.
Norway · Girls