Emma vs Jelena
Emma and Jelenacompared 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 2010, Emma was ranked #1 and Jelena #593 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #85 and Jelena #5927 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Jelena over time
Emma and Jelena appear together in 2 published lists, across 53 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Jelena in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Jelena changed places 8 times in Norway · Girls between 1952 and 2010, ending at #1 and #593.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Jelena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 38 years, from 1952 to 2010, ending at #1 and #593.
List by list
Norway · Girls38 shared years, 1952–2010
Emma held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Jelena in 10.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2005, Jelena #183 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2010: Emma #1, Jelena #593.
England and Wales · Girls15 shared years, 1996–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Jelena in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #14 in 1996, Jelena #1836 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #85, Jelena #5927.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Emma
Pairs where Emma shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Emma vs Danielle
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #20 in England and Wales · Girls, 6 places apart; by 2025 they were #85 and #1454.
Emma · Danielle · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Megan
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #10 in England and Wales · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2025 they were #85 and #816.
Emma · Megan · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2025 they were #85 and #585.
Emma · Bethany · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Courtney
In 1997 they stood at #4 and #12 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2017 they were #22 and #432.
Emma · Courtney · 21 shared years, 1997–2017 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Emma | Jelena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5927 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Jelena does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Jelena.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Jelena doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, 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 #85 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Jelena
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #414 among girls in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1952–2010
Highest recorded position: #183 among girls in Norway, in 1981 (recorded 1952–2010).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5927 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls