Emma vs Ida
Emma and Idacompared 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, Emma was ranked #1 and Ida #37 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Ida #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Ida #384 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Ida #337 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Ida #337 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Ida over time
Emma and Ida appear together in 4 published lists, across 134 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ida in 1.
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 2 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 2003, Emma moved ahead of Ida in Norway · Girls — #5 and #1 the year before became #1 and #2.
- Mirrored each other
Over 21 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Ida fell — from #245 and #372 in 1964 to #28 and #885 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Ida were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 75 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #1 and #37.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Ida in 52.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Ida #1 in 1988.
The order changed in 2003: Emma moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #5 and #1; by 2003 that had become #1 and #2.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Ida #37.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Ida in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Ida #257 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Ida #337.
Republic of Ireland · Girls21 shared years, 1964–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Ida in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #2 in 2015, Ida #325 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Ida #885.
Northern Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2014–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Ida in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #19 in 2014, Ida #178 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Ida #337.
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 | Ida |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | Commonly traced to a Germanic element possibly meaning 'work' or 'labour'. |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈiːdɑ/ |
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #37 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Ida is recorded with a Germanic, used across Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and German tradition origin.
- Emma and Ida both have 2 syllables.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Ida's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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
Ida
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #204 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #37 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls