Emma vs Holly
Emma and Hollycompared 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.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2015, Emma was ranked #24 and Holly #98 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Holly #69 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2020, Emma was ranked #45 and Holly #78 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Holly #79 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Holly #137 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Holly #105 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Holly over time
Emma and Holly appear together in 5 published lists, across 173 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Holly in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Holly in 1. 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
Emma and Holly changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #69 and #137.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Holly averaged 16.7 places apart, ending at #69 and #137.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Holly were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 33 years, from 1983 to 2015, ending at #24 and #98.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Holly #22 in 2003.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1976–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 46 of those years, Holly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Holly #11 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Holly #69.
New Zealand · Girls37 shared years, 1983–2020
Emma held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Holly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Holly #16 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Emma #45, Holly #78.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls33 shared years, 1983–2015
Emma held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Holly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Holly #19 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Emma #24, Holly #98.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Holly in 16.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Holly #12 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Holly #137.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Holly in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Holly #22 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Holly #105.
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 | Holly |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #69 (2025) |
| 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
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Holly does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma and Holly both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Holly doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Holly
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #392 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1976–2025
Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 1976–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #69 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls